


Unconventionally in Love

by bromanceorromance



Series: Unconventional Love [5]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Bondage, Committed Relationship, Established Relationship, F/M, Jealousy, M/M, Multi, New Relationship, One Night Stands, Oral Sex, Polyamory, Threesome - F/M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-12
Updated: 2018-03-07
Packaged: 2018-03-22 11:12:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 44
Words: 44,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3726598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bromanceorromance/pseuds/bromanceorromance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Riley is in a relationship with 2/5 of One Direction and the fans have started figuring it out. Liam's finally with Zayn, but he's still trying to come to terms with falling for a guy. They're about to announce their next world tour and release an album, but Louis and Harry can't stop thinking about babies. Liam and Zayn don't know if their futures lie together or apart. Niall's just sick of all the relationships surrounding him when he's just having a good time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Insatiable

 

" _Louiiis_ ," I pleaded. I couldn't see a thing through the black tie that was covering my eyes, but I knew it was him teasing me. He was pressing kisses to the inside of my thighs, his scruff scratching against the sensitive skin.

"Patience," he muttered, his voice scratchy.

Harry's mouth distracted me, pressing against mine, interrupting my train of thought. Louis's mouth sucked a mark into my thigh and I squirmed, breaking the kiss with Harry as I gasped. Harry's mouth moved to kiss his way across my jaw and down to my chest, tongue flicking across a hardening nipple. I moaned again, barely able to focus on all the sensations they were causing to ripple through me.

" _ Lou _ ," his name came out in a whine as his tongue rubbed across my clit. My hands pulled against the ties that bound me to the bed, desperately trying to touch one of them.

"Uh-uh-uh, no touching," Harry reminded me in a teasing voice as his fingers teased their way down my arms causing me to shiver. 

I could feel him straddling me now, his legs at either side of my stomach.

Louis's tongue pressed into me just as Harry's slid into my mouth. I swear they could read each others minds as they started thrusting in and out. 

I moaned, lifting my head up to get closer to Harry, not wanting him to move away again when I could do nothing to stop him. His hands settled at each side of my head, holding me still as he meticulously kissed me, barely giving me a chance to catch a breath. The sounds escaping my mouth melded with his and I could no longer tell who was moaning as his breath seemed to catch intermittently along with mine. Louis's tongue was randomly coming up to circle my clit between thrusting in and out of me. One of his hands was clenching my thigh, sure to leave bruises in its wake.

Harry bit my lip, pulling away with an especially loud moan before I felt something wet spurt across my chest and face. My tongue darted out to brush it away from my lips and I realized Harry had just cum - now I knew where Louis's other hand had wandered off to. Louis mouth came up to gently suck at my clit and I was coming as I felt Harry move off of me. Louis tongue lapped up everything I gave out before he kissed his way up my chest, licking off the cum that was drying against my chest. There was a slight pause and then I felt him slip inside me. He moaned and pressed a kiss to my lips as I whimpered lightly as he pulled out before thrusting back in.

He paused for a moment. "Okay?" he asked.

I nodded, unable to speak.

He set a comfortable pace, thrusting in and out as our bodies pressed close together. His mouth kissed its way across my jaw, stopping to lick my lips, before running his tongue along my throat. I propelled my hips up to meet him thrust for thrust. He was coming a moment later and I collapsed back against the pillow.

I felt him pull out of me and then I felt lips against my neck - Harry's - and a few gentle kisses before he settled his head against my shoulder.

"Sorry, love," Louis apologized, pressing a kiss to the opposite cheek.

I shook my head. "Nothing to be sorry for," I assured him.

I felt the cloth on my left wrist come loose, followed by my right and then the black tie that was acting as a blindfold was gently tugged away. My fingers moved to regain feeling for a moment before slipping into the long curly locks at my shoulder.

Louis disappeared to the bathroom for a moment, returning with a warm wet washcloth. I squinted up at him.

"You've still got Harry's cum on your face, love," he muttered with a small smile, rubbing the soft cloth against my face. 

I chuckled as Harry looked up with a guilty expression.

\---

"C'mon, love," Louis murmured. "Time to get up."

I squinted over at him. "Are we really doing this today?"

"Yes," he insisted. "We agreed it was time and we're leaving for America in a couple days. No time like the present."

"Breakfast is almost done!" Harry called.

"Why don't we jump in the shower?" Louis proposed, his fingers playing up my arm.

"I don't think that's going to save us time if that's what you're going for." I chuckled.

He rolled out of bed, turning to tug at my arm to get me to follow. "We're conserving water! Saving the planet and all that."

I giggled.

"Twenty minutes!" Harry yelled. "Don't make me wait!"

"Twenty minutes is plenty of time." Louis smirked.

\---

"It smells delicious," I complimented, walking over to press a kiss to Harry's lips. His tongue darted out, slipping between my lips.

"Tastes like you two had fun." He smirked.

"You did give us twenty minutes," I reminded him. "Besides, the man deserves something after last night."

"You looked so good tied up," he murmured, pressing a kiss to my lips before turning to our approaching boyfriend.

The two of them kissed and Louis thanked him for making breakfast. Harry slapped his hand away as Louis started to unbutton his shirt.

"Someone's insatiable this morning," Harry teased, pressing another kiss to his lips before pushing him over to the table.

I glanced up at the clock as I joined them at the table. "Meeting's in an hour," I reminded them.

"What d'you think she'll say?" Harry asked, digging into the food in front of him.

I chuckled. "She'll be surprised."

"Maybe she'll get rid of Eleanor," Harry offered, hopeful.

"Not before she comes with us to the States," Louis grumbled.

"Don't you wanna torture her through a 'double date' first?" I asked, smirking.

Louis tried to stifle the grin that immediately spread across his face. "We shouldn't be mean."

"She's always mean to me," I reminded him. "And she's gonna hate me. I got what she couldn't have." I grinned.

\---

"You're in a relationship."

The three of us nodded.

"All three of you." Katherine seemed to be frozen between shock and skepticism.

"Yes. We just wanted to let you know - "

"You should've told me when this started. How long has this been going on? Surely not from the beginning?"

"Since February," I supplied.

"Six months?" Katherine exclaimed.

"It's not - " Harry started.

"Do you realize how many things could've gone wrong in a six month period? I'm surprised you weren't spotted. I'm surprised you haven't - well, then again, Harry and Riley being the publicity stunt that it was…I just thought you got really good at acting - and Riley had a thing for you, anyways - " She started mumbling, cutting herself off mid-thought and then continuing while barely taking a moment to breathe.

"We aren't asking to make it public or anything at the moment," Louis offered.

"At the moment? What d'you mean at the moment?" she almost screeched in return.

"Well, eventually - I mean, in the future, when we're having kids and such, we'll be a bit more open about the state of our relationship." Harry glanced over at the two of us, waiting for our nods of agreement.

"You're about to announce another world tour!"

"Yes, we realize that - " I started.

"You can't be thinking about kids right now."

"Actually, it's not really your decision when we decide to have kids, Katherine," Louis pointed out.

"Riley's the only one stopping us - "

"Do not get into this here," I cut him off. "Now is not the time."

"Why exactly did you suddenly decide to let me in on this hoax?"

"My original relationship with Riley was a hoax. This is us letting you know what's actually happening," Harry insisted.

"We didn't want anything getting back to you about me and Louis and you having a meltdown about it."

"And we thought it'd make our lives a bit easier if you were helping us out a bit," Louis admitted.

"Oh, so now I'm  helpful ?" Katherine asked.

"They do pay you - well, your company - to manage them. As awful of a job as you seem to do of it - "

"They're still under contract," she pointed out.

"Otherwise they might've looked into other options by now, yes."

"We will discuss a game plan going forward and let you know."

\---


	2. Quite the Scandal

"They're telling Katherine?" Zayn asked, surprised at his boyfriend's words.

Liam nodded. "Riley said they'd decided it was time. You know she hated being paid to 'fake date' Harry when they're really together."

"Yeah, I just - wow, I wonder what they'll do. I mean, closeting Louis and Harry was bad enough, but a polyamorous threesome with two boybanders?"

"The media would have a field day," Liam agreed, following his boyfriend into the living room.

"We have become quite the scandal," Zayn chuckled. "Niall's the only 'normal' one among us." Zayn tucked one foot underneath him as he sunk down into the couch.

"Did you see the way he was eyeing Louis kissing Riley the other day?" Liam laughed, sinking down next to his boyfriend. "Had me thinking he wouldn't mind joining them." He tucked himself into Zayn's side, forcing Zayn's arm to wrap around his shoulders.

Zayn smirked. "Is there anyone who wouldn't join them if the opportunity were presented?"

Liam frowned.

"They're some good-looking blokes," Zayn insisted, teasing his boyfriend. "And Riley's not so bad on the eyes either. She's gotta be quite the - "

Liam cut him off with a kiss, lightly nipping at Zayn's bottom lip. "You know I'm sitting right here," he muttered, staring into Zayn's eyes.

"Such a jealous lover," Zayn murmured before pulling Liam back into another kiss. His tongue slid easily into Liam's mouth, exploring the now well-known territory. It had only been a few weeks and they'd agreed to take things slow, but kissing had quickly become one of their favorite activities.

Liam's hand clung to the back of Zayn's neck, refusing to let him move away. Their tongues slid against each other until Liam had to break away for air. Zayn moved to kiss his way across Liam's jaw, lightly nipping at the skin.

"No marks," Liam hastily reminded him.

"But - don't you - want - everyone - to know - that - you're -  mine ?" Zayn teased between kisses, working his way back up to Liam's mouth.

Liam pushed him away, caught on his words. "Should we start telling people? I mean, like, our parents?"

"If you want to." Zayn shrugged.

"But do  you  want to?" Liam insisted.

"I - uh, well, my mum already knows," he admitted.

"You already told her?"

"Didn't really have to. She noticed how happy I was and - well, she knew I had a thing for you."

"'Had a thing' for me?" Liam teased.

Zayn pressed a kiss to his lips. "Been half-in-love with you," he muttered against his lips. "Same thing."

Liam chuckled and Zayn distracted him with another kiss.

\---

"Mum?"

"Liam? What's wrong?"

He smiled. "Nothing's wrong, just wanted to talk."

"Oh, well, when are you boys heading out again? Couple of days, isn't it?" she inquired.

"Yeah."

"Enjoying your time off?"

"Relaxing and doing laundry to prepare to leave again. Zayn's just left," he added, trying to steer the conversation in the proper direction.

"Oh? How's Zayn doing?"

"Well, he's actually why I wanted to call…"

"And nothing's wrong?"

"No, Mum," Liam assured her. "Nothing's wrong - it's just - well, we're together now. It's been a couple weeks and I thought you'd want to know - "

" Together  together?"

Liam chuckled, nervous. "Yeah, Mum, he's my boyfriend."

"I thought you had a thing for Riley?"

"That's - well, that's over. She's with - she's in a relationship and we're just friends."

"In a relationship with who?" she asked, surprised.

"Well, Louis and Harry."

"Louis  and  Harry?" his mother exclaimed.

"Yeah, Mum, but - "

"The  three  of them? Hmm, that does explain some things…"

"Mum?" Liam asked.

"Yeah?"

"Me and Zayn? Are you - " He swallowed his nerves. "You okay with that?"

"Oh, you know we love Zayn, dear," she assured him. "And you've always been close."

"Yeah, I just didn't know how you'd feel about the whole, um, guy thing."

She chuckled. "It's a little surprising, but whatever or whoever makes you happy, love."

"Thanks, Mum."

"Now, back to this Riley, Harry, and Louis thing - "

Liam laughed.

\---

"How'd it go?" Liam asked.

"Okay," Riley replied. "She's getting back to us with a 'game plan'."

"What'd she say? Surprised?"

Riley chuckled. "Very surprised. And then one of my idiot boyfriends brought up making our relationship public - eventually, before we have kids - and she kinda freaked."

"Oh?"

"Tried to say we couldn't be thinking about kids right now when you're about to announce another world tour."

"What'd you say to that?"

"Well, actually, Louis jumped in and said she had no say in when we had children - that I was the only one stopping them at this point."

Liam chuckled.

"She didn't really have anything to say to that."

"You're thinking about kids already?"

Riley sighed. "You know those two want a baby."

"It's only been, what, six months?"

"Almost seven," Riley insisted.

"That's fast."

"Yeah, they've been together for four years, though," she said. "They were about ready for kids before I came along."

"Yeah, but you came along. And you're the one that has to carry a baby for nine months. Don't let them rush you into anything."

"Of course not," she assured him. "They aren't gonna push me into anything."

"Good. So Katherine…"

"I dunno. We're hoping to get rid of Eleanor soon, though."

Liam chuckled. "I thought Louis was the jealous one."

" 'Cause  I'm sure you love the whole 'Zayn's engaged to  Perrie ' thing," she shot back. "At least El never got a ring on her finger."

"Hey, Zayn didn't have me at the time - we'll wiggle our way out of it eventually."

"Eleanor doesn't know yet." Liam could hear the smirk in her voice.

"Riley…are you planning something?"

She just chuckled.

"That could've easily been you."

"Ha. No way. The alternate universe where I don't end up with Lou and  Haz  definitely has me landing with you and Zayn."

Liam coughed, choking on his own saliva. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, don't tell me you've never thought about it."

"Your - your boyfriends would  kill  me."

Riley giggled.

"Please tell me neither of them just heard you."

"Um, Lou - "

"Shit, Ri. I didn't - don't let him think - "

She giggled again.

"Should I let you go?"

"Probably."

Liam heard what sounded like a growl before the line went dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's here! I don't have a posting schedule yet, but I'm going to try to get a new couple chapters every two weeks. Every update will be a chapter of Rilourry (odd numbers) and a chapter of Ziam (even numbers). I'm still working on Forbidden and its nowhere near finished, so that's my main focus for the moment.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Comment and tell me what you think. Kudos are wonderful. Tell your friends. Come talk to me on tumblr (l-a-r-r-yspellslove) :)
> 
> Mwahhh
> 
> (OH and thank you to my betas, Hannah and Jordan. I love you, seriously.)


	3. Chapter 3

"Harry," I protested. "I think we should talk about this."

"You don't want kids yet. What is there to talk about?"

"Babe, don't be like that," Louis chastised.

"Be like what?" Harry snapped, collapsing back onto the couch. His arms were crossed and Louis frowned at him.

"Just because I'm not ready doesn't mean we shouldn't make a plan - look to the future," I said, crossing my arms and matching his stance as I sat in the armchair a few feet away.

"We're still touring next year," Louis reminded him. "The road's not a place for a baby - or a very pregnant lady."

Harry sighed, leaning back into the couch as his arms uncrossed.

"You could plan ahead - you know, plan to take six months or a year off and we could try to get pregnant before then," I suggested.

"But I - "

"Can't force Riley into this," Louis cut him off.

"You're right, of course." He sighed. "And I don't want to rush you into anything," he amended, looking over to me. "I can wait."

"It makes more sense to wait," Louis added.

I nodded. "I don't wanna be raising a baby alone while you two are off on the other side of the world. If the band agrees to take a break…" I trailed off.

"We've been on the road a lot the last few years, surely - " Harry started.

"You still have to release another album next year, don't you?" I cut him off.

"If we promise to cut  way  back on traveling after next year, can we start  trying  then?" Harry asked, turning a pair of puppy dog eyes on me.

I nodded, relinquishing a small smile. "A year sounds good."

"We wouldn't want you traveling when you're really pregnant," Louis added. "And Lux traveled with Lou and us a lot when she was pretty little."

"If you decide to keep touring - " I started.

"We could take some time and then make a bit of a comeback…" Harry talked over me.

"Or you could take some time to go solo…" Louis suggested.

"Not at first," I insisted, stopping both of them. "That just means more traveling and I want at least six months at home with the baby and both of you before we start traveling a lot again."

The two men shared a smile. "Of course."

"We're not gonna be like those celebrity couples that hire a nanny and don't spend anytime with their kids. " I insisted.

"Absolutely not. We can adjust our schedules so that it won't be a problem," Harry agreed.

"Besides, we're not exactly a 'couple'," Louis added with a smirk.

"Speaking of which, people are going to know something's up when we name the kids 'Tomlinson,'" I said, moving over to sit next to the two men on the couch.

"Did we ever even discuss the last name thing?" Louis asked.

Harry and I exchanged a look.

"Well, we did," I admitted, gesturing between Harry and myself. "But we didn't figure you'd have any objections."

Harry grinned. "They'll all be little  Tommos ."

Louis chuckled. "Yeah, okay. How many are we going for? A football team?"

I laughed. "No way."

"You're the one carrying them, you kind of get final say," Harry admitted.

"Yeah, I guess. But I don't think I'd object to adoption or something if I didn't feel up to carrying more," I replied.

"How many?" Louis asked again.

"Three to five?"

"Five it is," Harry said.

Louis chuckled. "That's almost a football team."

"So, talk to the boys about taking a break?" I asked.

Harry nodded.

"And we'll start trying next summer."

I smiled. "We'll have lots of practice by then."

Louis pulled me into a kiss. "Yeah, we definitely will."

\---

"How packing going?" I asked in lieu of a greeting.

Liam chuckled through the phone. "I'm all packed. We were only home a few days."

"I don't like to have the same stuff all the time, though, so I switch everything out."

"You go shopping all the time - I don't think you need to worry about wearing the same thing twice."

I frowned. "Hey! I'm not a shopaholic. I don't shop that much."

"Never meant to imply you were," Liam insisted. "Just that you have money available to spend at your disposal if you want new clothes."

"How's Zayn?" I asked, changing the subject.

"I told my mum."

"Yeah?" I replied, excited. "How'd she take it?"

"Totally fine, of course. She got a bit distracted by the idea of you, Lou, and  Haz  together."

I laughed. "How did that come up?"

"Had to explain that you were unavailable and I'd moved on," he replied. "She may be asking you about how you all make it work next time she sees you. She was quite intrigued by the idea."

"Oh-okay." I giggled. "Anne and Jay just kind of went with it - so have most of the people I've told…"

"The mothers-in-law? Yeah, I'd expect they don't want to think on it too hard."

"Niall's been a bit curious."

"A bit? He's never a bit of anything." Liam chuckled.

"I don't have a problem sharing."

Liam coughed. "What?"

"I've answered most of his questions. He hasn't asked anything too bad yet."

"What's he asked?" Liam sounded scandalized by the thought.

I laughed. "Positions, experiences, who's better at - "

"You don't tell me that stuff." He cut me off.

"You've never asked," I reminded him. "Besides, I thought it'd be weird - didn't think you wanted to know."

"I didn't think I did, but if  Niall  knows - "

"Li, just wait 'til you and Z are going at it and we can swap stories if you want, alright? Might be less weird then."

I could hear the pout in his voice as he answered, "Yeah, alright."

"Have you two…?" 

"No, not yet. Taking things slow. Neither of us has - you know, been with a guy before."

"Well, if watching my boyfriends together is any indication, gay sex is pretty freaking incredible. And I know anal's pretty - "

"Yeah, I'm not ready for this conversation," he cut me off.

I laughed. "Thought so."

\---


	4. Chapter 4

"Have you ever - I mean, with a guy?" Liam asked, nervously running his hands up and down Zayn's sides.

He shook his head. "I mean - you're the only guy I've ever wanted to…"

"I'm just - I don't think I'm - I'm not ready," Liam admitted. "It's not that I don't  want  to, with you; I just - "

""Haven't gotten used to all the parts?"Zayn teased.

Liam smiled, begrudgingly.

"Don't even worry about it, babe. It'll happen when it happens. No rush."

Liam leaned in to press a kiss to Zayn's lips. "Thanks."

"Not sure I'm ready to take your giant cock up my ass anyway," Zayn murmured, smirking.

"Fuck you." Liam grinned.

"I plan to."

\---

"How did I end up the only straight lad in this band?" Niall threw his hands up in frustration. "And worse - the only single one."

Zayn chuckled. "I know its only the 'single' part that's bothering you."

"I thought you were enjoying the single life," Harry added.

"I do! I am. It just - well, you all are stupid happy and it can confuse a lad about what he wants."

Zayn chuckled. "You don't like us being happy?"

Niall glared at him. "You know that's not what I meant."

"You should date more - " Harry started.

"I do date!" Niall insisted.

Zayn shook his head. "One night stands don't count."

"I mean spend time with someone outside of your bed," Harry added.

Niall smirked. "It's not always  my  bed or even  a bed  on occasion."

"Get to  know  someone - get your heart broken. Figure out what you want," Zayn said.

"Get the wrong person tattooed on my arm?" Niall replied, skeptical.

"Niall - "

Zayn glared. "If that's what it takes."

"Seriously, are you keeping that?" Niall asked, pointing to his arm.

"I don't know. It's complicated."

Niall quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Publicly, I'm still with her," Zayn reminded him.

"But in reality, you're  not, " Harry gently told him.

Zayn sighed.

"I guess if it doesn't bother you or Liam…"

"You think it bothers him?!" Zayn asked.

Niall shrugged.

"It'd bother me," Harry admitted.

\---

"You're all in one room?" Liam asked, surprised.

Riley shrugged, a smirk playing across her lips. "Perks of coming out to management."

"Yeah? And what're the costs?"

She frowned. "Eleanor's coming."

Liam chuckled. "Bearding up, of course."

"A small price to pay for my ability to sleep in the same bed as two gorgeous men."

"You know they aren't exactly subtle - with each other or you."

Riley smacked his arm. "Most of the world thinks they're both straight, thank you very much."

"Well, we know better, don't we?"

Riley's phone buzzed and she pulled it out of her pocket. "Sorry, it's Gemma. Give me a sec?"

Liam nodded, waving her away. "Of course, don't keep the sister-in-law waiting."

\---

"Going out with us tonight?" Josh asked.

Zayn shook his head. " Stayin ' in for the night," he replied with a small smile.

"Yeah? Liam said the same. Check with him if you get bored, yeah?"

Zayn chuckled. "Yeah, will do."

\---

"I heard you might be lonely this evening?" Zayn teased Liam as soon as the door opened.

"Oh, no, just waiting on my beautiful boyfriend," Liam replied, leaning around Zayn to look down the hallway. "You haven't seen him, have you?"

Zayn pushed him back into the room, slamming the door behind him. "You better not be waiting for anyone else."

Liam pressed a kiss to his lips, grinning. "I've got X-Men all queued up and the food got here a few minutes ago."

"Did you tell - "

"Paddy to leave us alone for the night? Yep. And Preston?"

"Assured him we were staying in," Zayn confirmed.

They shared a pleased little smile.

"I ordered extra egg rolls," Liam told him as they moved over further into the room.

"Perfect."

\---

Liam was tracing the lines of the tattoos on Zayn's forearm when he decided to break the silence.

"Does it bother you?" Zayn asked.

"Hm?"

Zayn stopped Liam's hand over the tattoo of  Perrie . "This one. Does it bother you?"

Liam looked over at him, concerned. "Does it bother you?"

A trace of a smile crossed Zayn's face. "I asked you first."

"Not really." Liam shrugged.

"'Not really'?"

"She was - is a part of your life. I can't erase her anymore than I could erase these doodles on your arm." He squeezed Zayn's forearm slightly. "She's - well, she's not the one for you and I know you've realized that. I don't - should it bother me? More importantly, does it bother  you ?"

Zayn sighed. "Sometimes. It seems like a stupid thing to do now. It didn't convince her to love me. But, I drew it - I mean, it's how I see her - how I saw her."

"It's a big part of your life," Liam agreed.

" You're  a big part of my life."

Liam smiled, looking away from him with a slight blush.

"I mean it. You and the boys - next to my family, it's everything to me. And you, specifically - " Zayn's hand came up to cup Liam's cheek, gently prodding him to look at him. "You've been making my life better since day one."

"Yeah?"

Zayn nodded. "I don't know how I'd handle it all without you."

Liam pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "I'm totally falling for you," he whispered.

"Don't worry I'll catch you as long as you catch me, too," Zayn replied with a grin.

"Deal."


	5. Chapter 5

"Have they said you can dump her yet?" I asked.

Louis shook his head. "She's still under contract."

"But you  have  a girlfriend now," I pouted.

Harry chuckled. "Well,  having  a boyfriend didn't do any good, so adding in a girlfriend isn't going to help much, love."

"I know." I frowned.

"You're my only girl, though. You know that," Louis assured me, leaning over to press a kiss to my cheek.  "She's joining us in Miami for the last show."

I frowned.

Harry poked my side. "That means a double date."

"Are we going to tell her about us?" I asked, glancing between the two of them. "I don't trust her, but - "

"That doesn't mean she'd blab, necessarily," Harry agreed.

"It could make the date super awkward for her, which  I  would enjoy," I added with a smirk. "What do you think she'd do, Lou?"

"Katherine could've told her already," he replied with a shrug. "I don't think - well, she's under contract. I'm not sure what she could do to hurt us or out us, really."

"I'm sure she could come up with something," I muttered. Harry's hand settled on my leg, squeezing in assurance.

"It'd be easier for her to know," Harry said.

"So we're telling her?" I asked, waiting for both of their hesitant nods.

\---

"I'm tired," I muttered, climbing into the bunk with Louis.

"Come cuddle, babe," he muttered, moving over and then wrapping his arms around me as I settled. "What's our boy doing?"

"He fell asleep on the bench up there," I replied. "And Niall's - "

"In the other bunk," Niall's voice supplied. "Don't be doing anything over there, I can hear you."

I giggled. "We're just cuddling, Ni. Don't be so jealous."

He spluttered. "I am not jealous."

"I'd offer to cuddle - "

"No, you wouldn't," Louis cut me off, pulling me closer to him and nipping lightly at my neck in retaliation.

"But I have very possessive boyfriends," I continued.

"I don't need a cuddle buddy, no worries," Niall insisted.

"Go to sleep, love," Louis muttered. "We've still got a couple hours on the bus."

\---

"I can't believe we gave Li and Zayn the other bus to themselves," Niall muttered. "They haven't even - "

"They're at the sappy cute stage, though," I pointed out. "And we're being good."

"You think I didn't hear Haz ask you and Lou for a BJ before disappearing with your boyfriend?"

"Well, I'm being good," I protested.

He chuckled. "At least they're quiet."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't jinx it."

He looked out the window, a little sad.

"We should get you a girl over break."

Niall laughed. "What makes you think I need a girl?"

"You don't  need  one, I just think you'd like one."

"You have someone in mind? Remember how the last time went?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow at me.

"I didn't mean I'd set you up. We just - we need to get you out. Get you meeting people."

"I meet lots of people."

"When was the last time you went on a second date?" I challenged.

"There was - wait, no - Kelly was - okay, fine, it's been a while."

"A man can't live on one-night stands alone."

"I can try," he insisted.

"I just want you to be happy."

"I am happy. I'm living the dream."

"Okay," I conceded. "But I think you should go on a second date with someone before the new year."

"That's months away. Easy."

"And not just to spite me. Find someone you like."

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, mother."

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one's short, but I've had the Ziam one written forever and I think I just need to post it so I can move on to the rest of the fic.


	6. Chapter 6

"Zayn -  Zayn,"  Liam hissed, halting his boyfriend's actions.

Zayn looked up at Liam from where he'd be working at the button of Liam's jeans. "You don't - you don't want to?" Zayn's face falls, confused. He could see the outline of Liam's cock pressing against his jeans and he just wanted to  touch  it - wanted to get his fingers wrapped around it and - 

"Not here," Liam muttered, bringing Zayn back to the present. "Just - not here."

Zayn smiled. "Let's get back to the hotel, yeah?"

Liam blushed and nodded.

A soft chuckle escaped Zayn's lips just before he pressed them to Liam's - a quick promise of what was to come. "Let's go."

Liam grabbed a jacket to strategically carry in front of him as they exited the dressing room.

\---

"I didn't think we were going to get away," Zayn said as they climbed into the backseat of one a black SUV.

"Keep the windows up," Preston reminded them from the front. "And please keep it in your pants until we get back."

Liam lets out a breathless laugh at the bodyguard's words. His cock had softened in the time it took to get past all the random crew members between his dressing room and the SUV, but his face was still flush and his lips still red from their previous activities.

"Keep your eyes on the road and we won't have a problem," Zayn shot back with a smirk, pulling his boyfriend closer to him.

Liam's arm wrapped around his shoulders and Zayn leaned into his embrace as they started out of the parking garage.

"Thank god for tinted windows," Liam murmured, pressing a kiss to his boyfriend's head as they heard the screaming fans outside. A thunk on Liam's window made him jump and then they heard another guard yelling for the fans to back away from the moving vehicle.

"I can't wait to get you out of these jeans," Zayn whispered, slowly rubbing his hand up and down Liam's thigh. "Study every inch of you."

Liam legs spread apart slightly, almost of their own accord.

"With my tongue," Zayn added, smirking as Liam let out a little gasp.

He pulled Zayn into a sloppy kiss, teeth clashing for a moment before they broke apart and Liam's mouth moved down to Zayn's neck.

"Wish I could mark you up," Liam muttered. "Make them all know you're mine."

Zayn let out a little growl. "Can't you drive any faster?" he asked Preston.

The man laughed. "Sorry, lads."

\---

They managed to look put together as they walked up to Liam's room at the hotel. As soon as the door closed behind them, Zayn's mouth was on Liam's and his hands were tugging at the other man's shirt, desperate for skin-to-skin contact.

" Fuck,  Zayn," Liam cursed as his shirt was pulled over his head suddenly q, his arms awkwardly caught for a moment. They both chuckled as he struggled out of the offending article. Zayn's hands pushed Liam back onto the bed and then his mouth was pressing kisses down and across Liam's chest. He paused at a nipple, flicking his tongue across it and grinning as Liam let out a little 'oh' at the contact.

Liam's hands came up to slide under Zayn's top, brushing across his sides and then tugging at the material. " Zayn,"  he pleaded.

Zayn couldn't believe how wrecked Li's voice sounded already - they hadn't even  done  anything new yet. He pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it out of the way before rolling onto his back next to Liam to squirm out of his jeans. Liam's fingers quickly joined his efforts and Zayn was down to nothing but his boxers a moment later. Liam straddled his waist, fingers tracing the lines of Zayn's tattoos up his arms and across his chest.

" Li,"  he whined, reaching for the man's jeans. "No fair."

Liam chuckled, but complied a moment later - shucking his jeans off the end of the bed.

Zayn's mouth watered as he saw how hard his boyfriend was. They'd seen each other naked before, but not like this - all lean muscle and flushed skin. Zayn flipped them over, slipping his hand inside Liam's boxers and finally  finally  wrapping his hand around his cock.

Liam thrust up into his hand, groaning at the contact.

"Lube?" Zayn choked out a moment later.

Liam nodded, pointing towards the bedside table. Zayn let go of him long enough to acquire the bottle and squeeze a fair amount onto his fingers, rubbing them together to warm the cool substance. Liam squirmed out of his boxers and Zayn's mouth watered as he got a full view of Liam - naked and waiting for him.

Liam reached out and paused his hand as Zayn started to reach for him. "No - uh, no butt stuff," he muttered, blushing.

Zayn held in the chuckle threatening to escape his mouth -  god, he was adorable -  and nodded. Liam licked his lips and let Zayn's hand go, watching anxiously as Zayn's fingers wrapped around him again.

He'd never jerked another guy off before -  obviously -  so Zayn started with what he liked himself -  minus the fingering that he'd have to tell Liam about pretty soon.  His free hand came around to fondle his balls as he watched Liam's every reaction - a gasp as Zayn's thumb rubbed across the slit and a little moan as he squeezed just a little bit tighter. He was starting to wonder if he could come just by watching and touching this man as his cock strained against the fabric of his boxers.

Zayn thought about asking, but when he glanced back up to see that his boyfriend's eyes had fallen shut, he decided to just go for it. He wanted to taste him - and he was sure blow jobs weren't off-limits. He leaned forward and slowed his hand as he swirled his tongue around the head. Liam cursed, eyes popping open.

"What're you - "

Zayn wrapped his mouth around the head and slowly took in as much of his boyfriend's large cock as he could. He had a hand pressed to his hip, warning him not to move and Liam was desperately trying to comply as he loudly cursed.

Zayn's head started bobbing over his cock and Liam was trying desperately not to come.

"Fuck, fuck, Zayn - babe," Liam stuttered the words out. "I'm gonna - "

He tried to push his head back and Zayn just barely shook his head, looking up at him. As soon as Liam's eyes met Zayn's, he was coming, shooting down Zayn's throat as Zayn swallowed as much as he could, the remainder dribbling out the corners of his mouth.

"Z, babe, god, your  mouth,"  Liam said as soon as he'd been able to form words. He pulled Zayn into a kiss, licking the corners of his mouth and moaning into his mouth. "What d'you want?"

"Just - just touch me," Zayn said. "I'm practically - "

Liam hand slipped into his boxers and barely had his fingers around and tugging before Zayn was coming with a cry of Liam's name.

"Fuck, you liked that? Blowing me?" He pressed a kiss to Zayn's shoulder as he laid his shaky body down next to him.

"Yeah," Zayn replied, breathless. "Fuck, Li, you looked so - gorgeous." His eyes were fluttering shut.

"Hold on," Liam muttered. "Let me clean you up." He slipped out of bed and grabbed a wet washcloth from the bathroom before returning to peel Zayn's boxers off. "You're so good to me," he murmured.

"Love you," Zayn sighed as he drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments/kudos/etc always super super appreciated :)  
> Thanks for sticking with me :)


	7. Chapter 7

"Are you coming with us tonight?" Niall asked. 

I shook my head. "It's date night," I informed him with a grin. 

Niall rolled his eyes. "Didn't you just have date night? Come with us!" he pleaded. 

"You just don't want to be responsible for all the  Ziam  action - " 

"Riley, they can't keep their hands off of each other on the dance floor! And I can only do so much when I'm trying to charm some ladies me-self." 

I frowned. "You're supposed to be pursuing a relationship. I thought we'd discussed this." 

Niall laughed. "I've got months before your deadline." 

" Niall - "

"You've got a steady sex life, Ri. I'm just trying to keep mine steady." 

"You're hopeless." I rolled my eyes. "You know there is something be said for knowing your partner's kinks and them knowing yours." 

"There's something to be said for new and exciting, too." 

"Are you calling us an old married... couple ?" I asked, pausing over the last word. 

He chuckled. "I didn't say  that ." 

"I think you're afraid of commitment." 

"I think it's been too long since you were last single." 

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "You've been single  too long ." 

We stared each other down for a few moments. Finally, he cracked a smile. "Truce?" 

"For now," I conceded. 

  


\--- 

  


"You look hot," I told Liam as we passed each other in the hallway. 

"Thanks, love," he replied with a slight smirk. 

"Thought you weren't leaving 'til later?" I asked, stopping to speak with him. 

"We're grabbing dinner beforehand," he explained. 

Paddy and Preston appeared and Liam followed them into the elevator down the hall with a wave over his shoulder. 

I waved and continued my way towards the room I was sharing with my boyfriends. We weren't doing anything much for date night - just dinner and a movie in our room, but it was a way of making time for each other in the midst of their hectic schedules. My work could be done almost whenever, but there's was a bit harder to plan around. 

"I ordered dinner," Harry told me as soon as I pushed the door open. 

"Hope it's not terribly healthy," I immediately replied. 

"Ha ha ha. Just because I'm trying to keep you two  alive ." 

"As long as there's no kale involved.". 

"No. No kale," he conceded, turning back to his laptop. He was sitting up against the headboard of the bed. His legs were stretched out in front of him with his bare feet peeking out of his long dark skinny jeans; his fingers posed over the keys in front of him. 

I kicked my shoes off and climbed in next to him, settling against his side to lay my head on his shoulder. "What're you doing?" 

"Business stuff," he muttered, pressing a kiss to my forehead before returning to the screen. 

I watched him reply to a couple emails and check his stocks and his bank accounts before closing all the windows. 

"Do you know where  Lou is ?" he asked, setting the laptop on the bedside table next to him. 

A knock at the door and a call of "Room service!" interrupted my answering. Harry quickly grabbed his wallet, sliding out a few bills to hand over for tip and answered the door. 

"Good evening," the man said, rolling the cart into the room. "Please call if you need anything else." 

"Thank you," Harry replied, tipping the man as he turned to leave. "Have a nice evening, sir." 

"I thought Louis was supposed to be done recording by now," I said as soon as the door closed. 

Harry frowned. "Yeah, he should've been." He hit a few buttons on his phone and then listened to it ring. "Babe! Where are you?" he asked, looking through the food cart. "Yeah, food just got here... okay... no, no problem." 

I looked up to see Harry roll his eyes. 

"Just get here when you can... okay... Yeah, she's right here... She's fine... Okay, I'm passing the phone. Love you." 

"Hey, babe," I greeted Louis upon having the phone thrust into my hand. 

"Sorry, sweetheart. We're in the midst of writing. I'll be back a bit later." 

"No, no. When inspiration strikes, right? It's fine," I assured him. 

"I would've called, but I didn't even realize what time it was. I'm really sorry, babe," he apologized. 

"It's not a problem. Promise. We'll see you later." 

"Enjoy date night. I promise I won't miss the next one." 

"It's fine, Lou. Get back to work. I love you." 

"Love you, too." 

I hung up the phone and rolled my eyes. 

"I told him you'd be fine with it," Harry said. 

"Yeah, I mean, he's never missed date night. It's no biggie." I shrugged, joining him by the food. "What'd you get me?" 

"Burger and chips," he replied, handing me my plate. 

"American food? Yes!" I cheered, slightly mocking him. 

Harry chuckled, picking up his own salad and walking over to the bed. 

"We're eating in bed?" I asked, eyeing the table, confused. 

Harry shrugged. "Date night. We are absolutely eating in bed." 

  


\--- 

  


"Dick Van Dyke is such a legend" Harry said as the opening credits began. 

"And Julie Andrews?! God, I love her." 

"She's so …elegant . Like, she really looks like she should be queen of some obscure country or something." 

"She probably is. Some tiny unknown country. She's probably an amazing queen," I agreed, gesturing with a fry in my hand. "Equal rights and peace and no starving children in the streets." 

Harry chuckled. "Genovia?" 

"Ha ha. You started it," I replied, nudging in his arm with my elbow. He pouted as his bite of salad dripped dressing into his lap. 

I reached over to wipe it off with a chuckle and then we fell silent as the movie began. We sang and giggled and kissed through half the movie before our boyfriend appeared. 

"Aw, you're watching  Mary Poppins  without me?" Louis pouted. 

"You were supposed to be here," I pointed out just as Harry asked, "How was writing?" and paused the movie.  

"Good, yeah," he replied, stepping into the bathroom to turn on the shower before returning. "Julian and John really wanted to get it done tonight - we were really feeling it." 

"Have you ate?" I asked, gesturing towards the kitchen area where we'd stashed Louis's plate from earlier. 

"We got room service. I'm just gonna get a quick shower and join you, loves." He disappeared into the bathroom and partially shuts the door before we can respond. 

Harry hit play and returned his gaze to the movie. I slipped off of the bed with a grin. 

"Going to join him?" Harry smirked without looking away from the screen. 

"I might just need a quick shower, too," I insisted with a grin. 

"Don't think you'll be getting very clean." 

I giggled and slipped into the bathroom where Louis had already stepped into the shower. He was humming a tune I didn't recognize as I slipped out of my clothes and opened the shower's door to join him. 

"I didn't expect company." Louis smiled, eyes crinkling. 

"I didn't even get a kiss 'hello', mister," I replied, closing the door behind me as I stepped into his arms. 

His lips pressed to mine for a moment. "Better?" he asked. 

I hummed in reply, arms wrapping around his neck to pull him in for another kiss. He acquiesced for a moment before pulling away slightly. "Is that all you came for?" He quirked an eyebrow at me. 

I let my hands skim down his chest and stomach. "It  is  date night." 

"I believe  you  were the one that said date night wasn't a promise for sex." He smirked. His hands settled at my hips as he stepped closer, only a couple inches separating us. 

"You and  Haz  said odds were at least two of us would want to get off," I reminded him. 

"You don't think our dear Harold wants to get off?" 

I chuckled. "You don't think he's getting off just thinking about what we're doing in here? He'll be ready for us when we come out." 

"Maybe you should wait," Louis said, his voice was starting to get deeper. I didn't even need to look down to know that his cock was starting to perk up in interest. 

I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his chest. "Yeah?" I nipped at the words written there: 'It Is What It Is'. "You're the one that was late." 

"Yeah, but that's really -  your  fault."  

I glanced up in confusion. "How is that?" 

He turned us around so that my back was to the hot water and started wetting my hair. "You and H are such good muses." 

I giggled. "That isn't - " 

"The best excuse ever? Yeah, I think it's a pretty solid one, myself." His hands tilted my head back, slightly, and I close my eyes against the stray drips running down my face. His lips pressed against my neck, briefly, and I pout as they disappear. 

"A love song, then?" 

"A break-up song, of sorts," he admitted. 

I opened my eyes and frowned.  

"Not that I'm breaking up with either of you, obviously, but you know how these things go. Inspiration flowing between all of us, things don't just come from one of us, usually." 

We locked eyes for a moment. "Kiss me," I requested. 

He does, of course, pressing his tongue into my mouth and guiding one of my hands down to touch him. He's not fully erect, but quickly reacts as my fingers tease him. He nips at my lips and I finally wrap my fingers around him, tugging lightly. A small groan falls from his lips, breaking our kiss. 

I drop to my knees, biting the inside of his left thigh before licking up the side of his cock.  

His fingers curl around the shower's support bar. " _Riley_. " 

I lick my lips and stretch my jaw slightly for a second before wrapping my lips around the head, swirling my tongue around. I slowly take more of him into my mouth as my jaw relaxes - my fingers covering what I haven't quite fit into my mouth. I slowly start to  bob  my head, taking a little more of him each time until my nose is brushing against his pubic hair.  

He's trying desperately not to thrust into my mouth - his thighs are trembling ever so slightly. I look up at him and see that his eyes are pressed shut as little pants escape his mouth interspersed with little whines of my name. I suck ever so slightly and a frustrated whine escapes his throat.  

I take a deep breath as best I can and then loosen my hold on his thigh. He understands and slowly starts to thrust in and out of my mouth, hesitant at first, always worried he could hurt me.  

I look up again and he's looking back at me and his hand grips the back of my head as he starts to thrust a little faster. I can feel the wetness between my thighs as I watch him. He's so gorgeous like this, losing control and taking what he wants.    


Grunts and groans are all I hear for several moments and then he stills, cock pressed all the way into my mouth as he starts to come down my throat. I swallow as much as I can, a few tears slipping down my cheeks. 

"Fuck," Louis curses just before lifting me back to my feet and pressing me against the shower wall with a kiss. "I love you so much. You're so good to me. So so good, baby." His hands skim up and down my sides soothingly.  

"Touch me," I plead, voice cracking. " _Please_." 

His fingers slip between my legs, surprised at how wet I am already. "Fuck, you love that, don't you?" 

"Love - watching you." 

"Yeah?" Louis mutters, slowly rubbing his forefinger against my clit and I writhed against him. "Like watching me fall apart? That was all you, baby. You and this pretty little mouth." He presses his thumb across my bottom lip. 

" _ Lou _ ," I beg, tongue darting out to lick the offered digit. His thumb slips into my mouth at the same time as he presses a finger inside me, thrusting in and coming out to rub across my clit before slipping in again. I shudder against the sensations rippling through me. I'm vaguely aware of the fact that I'd be on the floor if he wasn't holding me up against the wall. My knees were completely giving out before he'd even slid a digit into me.

"Bet Haz is out there touching himself. Getting all worked up thinking about what you climbed in the shower to do to me." Louis's voice is wrecked, too, which only adds to the imagery he's providing. 

I groan, losing myself to his words. 

"Laid out on the bed, dick rock-hard as he strokes himself. Doesn't want to come until he's inside one of us." 

" _Louis_. Fuck, fuck -  " My whole body is trembling as he calmly adds a second finger to my torture.  

"You could walk out there and climb right onto him, baby. Ride him 'til you're both coming so hard." 

I whimper, hands gripping his shoulders.  

"I could lick you both clean." His fingers curl inside me and I come with a mangled shout. He doesn't release me, just strokes me through it til I'm trembling again from the sensitivity. 

" _Louis_ ," I plead. 

His fingers slowly pull out. His hand stays between my legs, though, a warm presence that is quickly working me up again. "I bet he's waiting." Louis's cock is hard again, but he ignores it, continuing to focus on me.  

"Let's go," I whisper after a moment. 

We barely dry off, tearing out of the bathroom to find Harry sprawled out on the bed, naked as we'd hoped. The movie had been paused and he was laying there, eyes closed, jerking himself off. A condom laid next to the lube bottle next to him and I grabbed it as I climbed onto the bed.  

Louis straddles his chest and pushes his cock into his mouth as I slide the condom over his length. Harry's hands clasp Louis's ass as he encourages the man to fuck his mouth. I can feel my pulse between my legs as I line him up and sink down onto him with a deep groan.  

My breath catches in my throat as I watch Harry reach around to press a finger into Louis's hole. He's stretching him open as Louis fucks his mouth and then back onto his finger - fingers, now. 

I circle my hips experimentally, enjoying the feeling of being stretched so full. Louis's talking nonsense, cursing and praising his pretty boy's little mouth and fingers. I press my hands to the laurels inked into Harry's hips and start to ride him in earnest. I'm enjoying the show in front of me almost as much as the dick pressed inside of me. 

Louis comes a few moments later, three fingers up his ass. He rolls off and I see that he's come all over Harry's face. I lean forward to kiss him and he flips us over, gripping my hips hard enough to bruise as he thrusts into me quick and hard. He's moaning and I can tell he's close - so close. His thrusts are uneven and his arms tremble. He leans in to flick his tongue across one of my nipples before taking it into his mouth and sucking. I let out a surprised scream and then we're both coming, trembling in each other's arms. 

'I love you's are whispered into the quiet that follows. Over and over as Louis shuffles us all to the shower to clean off for real this time.  

He takes his time, cleaning us off and then drying us off before tucking us into our bed.  

Harry's arms wrap around me and he drifts off before Louis has even gotten into bed behind him.  

"I love you," Louis whispers. "Both of you. So so much." 

I sigh, smiling. "Love you. So good to us." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally updated! I hope you all are pleased with this chapter. I wrote the second half of it pretty quickly and did a quick edit by myself, so hopefully there aren't too many horrible errors?!   
> Anyways, I'm starting the next chapter pretty quick here and will have it up ASAP. I've finally got a working laptop in front of me and the words are just flowing, so updates should be more steady, I hope. As long as this laptop doesn't decide to freak out or anything *fingers crossed*
> 
> Thanks for reading! Thanks for sticking with me! Thanks for all the kudos and comments and subscribing to this fic. Just thanks to all of you :) And I love comments, so if you have anything to say, please do :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ziam POV

They'd remained incognito as they'd enjoyed their dinner, but here, at the club with Niall, Liam and Zayn are the most exciting arrival of the night. Three-fifths of One Direction had shown up to dance and, within an hour, it was ladies' night. One would think that they'd keep track of each other better with it being a predominantly female population in the club, but all three of them kept losing each other in the mass of gyrating bodies. 

Liam smiled at all of the girls trying to dance with him and silently thanked the powers that be that the alcohol was kicking in, making it easier to be happy. He hadn't seen his boyfriend in at least an hour and it was starting to bug him. The evening had started so well and now he couldn't even dance with his boyfriend - as platonically as they had to act, of course.

Liam found his Irish bandmate by his loud voice. The ladies around him were laughing and Niall had a large drink in his hand.

"Liam!" he exclaimed. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Have you seen Z?" Liam asked, trying not to sound too desperate.

Niall chuckled. "Some ladies had him cornered over by the bar."

Liam nodded and slowly made his way to the bar, trying to ignore all the people taking selfies 'with' him as he passed.

He ordered another drink and finally spotted Zayn at a table by the opposite end of the bar. There were about six women crowded around the small table with him and one standing at his shoulder like she'd love to sit in his lap if he gave her half a chance. Liam frowned, a flash of jealousy hot in his chest.

Downing his drink, he walked over and took his boyfriend's hand to pull him to his feet. "Come dance with me," he told him, ignoring the girls' protests as they walked away.

Liam didn't release his hand until they'd made it to the dance floor. He made sure to stand close enough that no one would be able to 'cut in' and let his hips move to the beat. Soon enough, they were both grinding against each other to the music.

\---

"Out. Let's get out of here," Zayn pleaded. "Wanna kiss you."

Liam smirked but nodded. A quick text was sent to Niall to let him know of their exit and then they were facing the paparazzi as Preston and Paddy led them to the car. They kept their hands to themselves, looking appropriately separated for all of the cameras, but Zayn was pulling Liam into a kiss as soon as the car pulled away from the curb. 

"Keep it in your pants back there, boys," Paddy muttered. 

Liam pulled away from Zayn with a smirk. "Look at this face, Paddy," he insisted. "How could anyone resist this face?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm more worried about you resisting his cock until you're both in the privacy of a hotel room."

Preston chuckled.

Zayn pressed a kiss to the curve of Liam's neck, ignoring the conversation.

"No exhibitionist kink here, thanks," Liam replied.

\---

Zayn lined his cock up with Liam's, wrapping his fingers around both of them to slide them together. 

" _ Fuck _ , Z."

"God, I can't wait to -  _ fuck _ \- feel you inside me," Zayn moaned.

Liam let out a whimper. "Yeah?"

Zayn leans in to Liam's shoulder, can't help biting him there as the waves of pleasure cascade through him. "Fuck me so good.  God , the way you move your hips - just know you'll make me - _ughh_ \- feel so good."

Liam's hands are skimming up and down Zayn's sides, indecisive of where they want to land.

"Touch me.  _ Please _ , Li. So close."

Liam freezes briefly, slowly skimming down to hold on to Zayn's ass in question. He nods against Liam's shoulder and Liam hesitantly brushes his fingers along his crack. 

Zayn twists his wrist slightly and Liam moans at the movement.

Liam's finger presses hesitantly across Zayn's hole and Zayn's coming with a strangled shout. Liam can feel his coming coating his own cock and Zayn continues to move, rubbing it all over both of them until Liam freezes, shooting his own mess onto Zayn.

" _Fuck_. "

Zayn breathes into Liam's shoulder - deep breaths that bring him slowly back to the hotel room where they're both standing with their jeans around their ankles. They'd both managed to lose their shirts, but the jeans didn't have much of a chance. 

Zayn chuckles. "Shower, babe?"

Liam nods, awkwardly trying to step out of his jeans without taking his boots off. He almost falls to the floor before Zayn catches his arm to keep him steady. Liam looks up at him, embarrassed. Zayn just laughs.

" God , you're adorable."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason, I find it easier to write threesome sex than I do M/M sex. Maybe it's a POV thing. I dunno. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this. Chapter 9 is getting posted momentarily, too. They're both pretty short, but that's what happens when you're switching POVs so much in a story. Soo...
> 
> Comments/kudos are appreciated :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niall POV

As soon as he saw the text that said his bandmates had left, he really started perusing the crowd for a girl to take for the night. He'd done this enough times to know the type - know the look. There were always adoring fans and a fair few thought they'd do anything to get to spend the night with him, but he wasn't interested in them. He wanted the one that came out for a good time - not to see  One Direction  or  Niall Horan . Sure, he might use the whole famous thing if he needed a little help, but he liked to get the girl that didn't particularly care that he was famous - just that he was good looking and available.

He spotted a few options, but the blonde by the bar caught his eye. She was well-endowed in the chest region and he'd never deny that he was a breast man. He sauntered over to her as casually as he could with all the people trying to get his picture or attention.

"Can I buy you a drink?" he asked. Pick-up lines were for the weak, he personally believed.

She eyed him up and down before shrugging. "Sex on the beach."

He smirked slightly at her drink choice, turning to order a beer for himself as well. "Having a good night?"

"I'm still sitting here, so not as good as it could be." She quirked an eyebrow at him as the bartender arrived with their drinks.

"We could change that," Niall replied.

She sipped her drink and eyed him speculatively.

"Name's Niall."

She nodded slightly. "Hard not to know that."

"And you are?"

"Looking for someone to turn my night around."

Niall nodded, trying not to smirk into his drink.

\---

He pressed her up against the wall of his hotel room, enjoying the feel of her against him. She was working quickly, already undoing his jeans and stepping out of her shoes. 

Their lips locked together until she pulled his shirt off over his head. He unzipped her dress and let it fall to the floor, pressing kisses across the edge of her bra, fingering at the lace of her panties. 

She pushed him back towards the bed and he steps out of his jeans, left only in his pants. She pulled those off, too, before climbing on top of him on the bed, grinding down against him. He's quickly annoyed by the remaining fabric between them and pushes them down and off. The condoms are in the bedside table and he reaches for one as she bites at his neck. 

He pushes her back slightly. "No marks."

She huffs in annoyance, but complies, snatching the condom from his hand and opening it to slide onto his length. He flips them over before she expects it and she giggles slightly. He grins and then her legs are wrapping around his waist and he's pressing into her.

The tight heat is just what he needs. Just what he wants. She's responsive and noisy - moaning and sighing at every thrust and touch. He never even got her to tell him her name, but that's okay. He doesn't need a name. They are two consenting adults and that's all that matters. She feels good. Those boobs keep bouncing tantalizingly everytime he thrusts in sharply. He loves it when they talk, but he'll settle for the moaning that she's got going. It's better than the silent ones - there's been a few of those and he never knows if they're just suffering through it for his sake. He makes her come first, always a gentleman, before taking care of himself.

There's no cuddling when it's over, just the sound of each of them catching their breath. 

She leaves before he can warn her about the pat down she'll be getting outside his door - security was tight with them, couldn't have a random sex tape getting out that wasn't even consented to. He doubts there will be much of a problem - she hadn't even had a purse much bigger than her cell phone.

He takes a shower and climbs into bed. He can't help but wonder what it would be like to actually  sleep  with a warm body next to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, Niall's getting his own story added into the mix here. :) I felt like I was leaving him out a lot. I adjusted the fic summary and added a few tags to support his side. The 'One Night Stands' tag will be strictly for Niall's side, no need to worry about Ziam or Rilourry cheating or anything :)
> 
> Comments/kudos are LOVE. I'm approaching 100 kudos on this fic, so I'm looking forward to passing that number :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Niall's POV

"How was date night?" Niall asked as he collapsed next to Riley.

A small smirk crossed her face and then was gone. "Good." Her eyes were glued to her phone, playing some game.

Niall swiped it out of her hands.

"Hey!" she protested. "I was almost to level 54!"

"Join the land of the living. Tell me about last night," Niall insisted.

She rolled her eyes. "You can't always live vicariously through my relationship, Ni."

"Who says that's what I'm doing?"  He  tried to look puzzled.

"What happened with you last night? Zayn and Li behave?" she asked.

"They barely had time at the club together - it got really crowded after we got there."

"Yeah, I bet. Every girl in the area wants a piece of 1D...too bad there's only one 'D' available." She cackled.

"Oh my god. That was awful," Niall huffed. "Never say that joke again. I don't even think that deserves to be called a joke."

Riley continued to giggle.

" Anyways , they danced together a bit and then left. I hooked up with a girl shortly after and brought her back for a little one-on-one," he told her.

"Did you get her name this time?" Riley asked, quirking a judgemental eyebrow at him.

"Uh..."

"Seriously, Ni? You fucked another girl and didn't know her name? At least her first name! I get not knowing her full name, but not even her first name?!"

"Riley - "

"You're gonna get some nasty STD one of these times."

He rolled his eyes. "I used a condom. I  _ always _  use a condom."

She just stared at him. "And condoms don't protect from everything,  _ babe _ ."

Niall shrugged. "It's fine. I'm fine."

Riley just shook her head.

"Do you three always use a condom?" he asked after a slight pause.

"With me, yes. Those two not so much. They're both clean and, well, we're all faithful, so."

"And - I'll ask again - how was last night?"

Riley blushed slightly. "Good. We watched Mary Poppins."

" _Riley_ ,  you know what I want here."

"Your one night stand didn't satisfy you enough? Need to raise your standards, Ni."

" _ Riles _ , my one night stand stories are never as hot as your sex stories. How could they ever be?" Niall insisted.

Riley chuckled. "You know Liam was a bit irritated that I was giving you sex stories and not him?"

Niall huffed out a laugh. "What? Like that wouldn't be awkward."

"You know he's my bestie. He doesn't like anyone knowing more than him." She rolled her eyes. "I told him when he had stories about Z, we could talk."

Niall's eyebrows raised. "Are we hot for all of One Direction?"

She slapped his arm. "No! But those two are hot - I mean, can you imagine?"

"Need I remind you, I am, in fact, straight?"

"You'd swing for them if you had a shot."

Niall looked offended. "You think I haven't had a shot? I've had lots of shots, lady."

Riley grinned. "Straight as an arrow, huh?"

"Yep."

"You can still admit they're hot."

He lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. "Meh. They're pretty ripped. I could see the appeal."

"They're gorgeous."

"Louis would probably kill you if he heard that," Niall pointed out. "Has a bit of a  jealousy  streak, that one."

She smirked. "Fuck me raw, more like."

"Oh?"

"I never told you about his issues with Li before we told you guys we were together?"

"Oh, yeah."

"I went out with Zayn and Liam to a movie. Liam walked me to the door. Louis freaked. I was sore the next day. He felt so bad."

Niall grinned. "That good?"

She nodded. "Yeah. He kept muttering about how I was his and there was nothing anybody could do about it."

Niall chuckled. "Yep, sounds like Lou."

"It was hot."

"And last night? I'll ask again."

She studied him for a moment. "I blew Louis in the shower before he went and fucked Harry's mouth while I rode his cock. Is that want you want to hear?"

"Louis's like the  toppiest  top, isn't he?" Niall asked.

Riley laughed. "It's  not like that."

"I bet Harry gives good head."

"Louis and Harry both have very talented mouths..." Her gaze turned a bit dreamy. "...and hands..."

"You like being on top?" Niall asked, bringing her back to the present.

She shrugged. "Sometimes."

"And they go for it?"

Riley squinted at him, curious. "You don't like girls on top?"

"What are you two talking about?" Louis appeared behind the couch, giving  Riley a questioning glance.

"Sex, obviously," Niall replied.

Riley laughed. 

"I hear you had some last night," Niall added, looking up at Louis. "Pretty good, too, I hear."

Louis smirked, giving Riley heart-eyes.

She looked up at him and grinned. "Join us?"

"Talking about girls on top?" he asked. "Absolutely."

"So you are into it?" Niall repeated his question.

Louis came around the couch, sitting down to wrap an arm around Riley. "Absolutely. My girl's great on top."

Riley blushed. "Have you tried it?" she asked Niall.

"Yeah, a couple times, but - "

"Do you have control issues, mate?" Louis interjected.

"No!" Niall spluttered.

"Louis controls just fine from the bottom," Riley added.

"So he is the  toppiest  top ever?" Niall asked.

"What?" Louis's mouth dropped open. "I don't even top all the time."

"We're  supposed  to be talking about you," Riley insisted.

"Well, it's less work, but that doesn't always mean more enjoyable."

Riley's mouth dropped open and Louis laughed. "Mate, if you think  it's  less work, you're doing it wrong."

"Shouldn't they do the work? I always do the work when I'm on top."

"Oh my god, Niall. When was the last time you've eaten a girl out?" Riley asked.

Niall squinted, thinking about it.

"Okay, you seriously need to stop thinking about getting off and get her off. Whoever she may be." Riley shook her head in exasperation.

"She's right, mate."

"Besides, you're supposed to be pursuing a  relationship and not just sex. Trust me, if you give her a good enough time, she'll want more. Maybe just more sex, but maybe more."

Niall shrugged. 

"Riley's always so responsive when I eat her out," Louis said, turning to her with a little smile. "The little whimpers and moans. It's even better when Harry's cock is in her mouth and he's a mess above her." He leaned in for a quick kiss. "And she always tastes so good."

"God, your  mouth,"  she muttered, pressing their lips together again.

Niall was soon forgotten and he sat back, enjoying the show.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> POVs will be switching at random, sorry. It's just the way it's playing out. In order to keep things in a time-wise order, its just kind of random how the POVs will switch. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter :D
> 
> Comments/kudos make me happy ;)


	11. Chapter 11

"Have you been on tumblr lately?" Michelle asked, staring at me seriously through the computer screen. 

I squinted, confused. "No?" 

"You have shippers. A lot," she told me. 

"What? Me and Harry? Yeah, that's been - " 

"No," she cut me off. "You, Harry, _and_ Louis have shippers." 

"No, not that many. I mean there's the whole 'Rilourry' thing but nobody really - " 

"I'm sending you a link," she said, exasperated. "I'm serious, Ri. There's a lot of shippers. Not as many as Larry, but still." 

A link popped up on my chat screen and I clicked it, unprepared for what came up.  

"This is insane," I muttered. 

"Yeah," Michelle agreed. 

Someone had started a thoroughly detailed timeline of everything that pointed to the three of us being in a relationship since I'd started dating Harry. They'd even assumed I was a hired beard and later ended up with them. 

"This is kind of terrifying," I said. Every move I'd made was catalogued. Things I didn't even remember wearing of either of the boys', they had pictures of each of us in the shirt or jacket or whatever showing it was the same. 

"You used to be a Larry fan, you know how intense people can get." 

"I thought we were being careful, though." 

Michelle shrugged. 

 

\---- 

 

"Car's headin' out, babe," Louis told me, grabbing his wallet from the bedside table. "Aren't you coming?" 

I frowned. "I've gotta get this novel edited by tomorrow." 

"Oh, well, work is work," he shrugged, coming over to press a quick kiss to my lips. "Let me know if you need anything later." 

I nodded. "Have a good show. Love you." 

He smiled. "Love you, babe." And then he was out the door and I was left in silence. 

 

\---- 

 

"Did you get done?" Harry asked, arriving back through the door hours later. 

I sighed. "No, this thing's a freaking mess." I glared at the screen. 

Harry came over and laid his hands on my shoulders. "Work on it in the morning, love." He started to press his fingers into the knots forming around my neck. "You've been at it for hours. Time for a break." 

"Harry - " I started to protest. 

He reached over and shut my laptop. "What time is it due in by?" 

I finally looked up at him. "End of the workday there, but they're six hours ahead of here and - " 

"Have you eaten dinner?" 

I glanced at the bag of chips I'd been munching on, expecting his disapproval. 

"I'll call room service." 

I looked at the clock. "Aren't they closed?" 

"Not for us," he replied, stepping over to the hotel phone. He ordered dinner for three and I slowly turned to open my laptop to restart my work. "Uh-uh," Harry protested. "Break time." 

I sighed and turned back to him. "I'm not gonna get it done in time. They're gonna fire me." I was close to tears and Harry quickly finished on the phone to come and kneel at my feet.  

"They're not going to fire you for one late manuscript." 

"You don't know that - " 

"You still have hours to complete it. You've got to take a break or your brain's going to quit altogether and then you won't even be editing it properly." He took my hands in his, rubbing his thumb across my knuckles. "Lou'll be up in a bit and we'll sit down and eat something and you can tell us about this novel or we'll tell you about the show and you'll just not edit for an hour or so, okay?" 

"Fine," I conceded. "But I'm gonna need some more caffeine to stay awake." 

"Of course," he easily agreed, pulling his phone out to text someone. 

 

\---- 

 

"I come bearing caffeine. Delicious, delicious caffeine," Louis announced, entering the room. 

Harry pressed a quick kiss to his lips as he passed. "Thanks, love." 

Louis sat the drink carrier full of Starbucks drinks down on the table in front of me and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "I hear my lady love is stressed?" 

I shot him a small glare. "I've just got to get this manuscript - " 

"I know, I know," he cut me off. "Dinner first. You ought to be starving by now. H said you'd only had some chips all afternoon and evening while we were gone?" 

I shrugged. "I was busy." 

"Not a good excuse." Louis frowned at me before turning back to our boyfriend. "I'm heading out. Clubbing with Liam." 

"Have you eaten?" Harry asked. 

"We'll get something - " 

"No, you won't. Food should be here - " 

A knock at the door and a call of 'Room service!' almost right on cue. 

Harry grinned. "Eat something before you leave. I ordered enough for all of us." 

Louis stepped out of view of the door as Harry answered and thanked the man. 

The door closed and the conversation continued. 

"We can eat while we're out - " 

"But you won't," Harry said. "You've been on stage under those hot lights tonight and you need to rehydrate before you go out drinking. And you haven't ate since this afternoon." 

Louis conceded, sitting down at the table as Harry brought the food over. "Just something quick." 

"Don't come back drunk before I've got this thing done," I requested. 

Louis chuckled. "Am I a distraction?" 

I eyed the tight shirt he was wearing with the low-cut collar skimming down to the words across his chest and swallowed. "You're a distraction like that. Drunk!you will be louder and hornier most likely. Definitely not conducive to editing a manuscript." 

"I'll let you know when she's done," Harry promised. 

Louis started cutting up the piece of chicken in front of him. "Better text Alberto. You know how well I pay attention." 

"I'll tell Paddy, too," Harry agreed. "Why the need for the boys' night out?" 

Louis frowned. "I wouldn't call it a boys' night out without you and Nialler and Zayn. Liam just was in the mood and I agreed." 

"Zayn's not going?" I asked. 

"Nope," he said, lips popping over the 'p'. "No boyfriends." 

"And Niall's staying in?" 

Louis shrugged. "Didn't say he wanted to go." 

"Probably sick of you getting onto him," Harry laughed. 

"Whatever. He agreed to the dating thing. I didn't force him into it," I insisted. 

"Isn't the deadline New Year's? He's still got months," Louis reminded me. 

I shrugged. "It might take him that long." 

A burst of laughter from Harry. "He'd be so offended if he heard you." 

I tilted my head. "Well, he won't hear it from me. But it's true, isn't it?" 

"He gets laid pretty regularly, sweetheart." 

"Yeah, but he doesn't want anything but a quick lay from those girls." 

Louis shrugged. "I suppose that is true. I don't think giving him a deadline will make him find the girl of his dreams, though." 

"I'm just trying to encourage him to explore more options." 

 

\--- 

 

"Can you please stop humming?!" I snapped. 

A tense pause. "Sorry, babe." 

 

\--- 

 

A sliced apple appeared on a plate next to me. I glanced at it and then up at my boyfriend. 

"Thought you might use a snack," Harry offered with a sheepish smile. "Almost done?" 

I sighed, glancing at the clock. Almost four in the morning. "Yeah, one more chapter." 

He pressed a kiss to my forehead. "Alright, I'll stay out of the way." 

 

\--- 

 

"All done?" Harry asked, closing his laptop. 

I nodded, climbing into bed next to him. "So tired," I muttered. 

A small chuckle. "I'll text Lou and Alberto and we can go to sleep, love." 

I hummed my agreement, settling back onto the pillow, not even having the energy to get under the covers. Harry set his phone down and shifted us both under the covers before flicking off the light. His arm wrapped around my middle and his face pressed into my neck. I was asleep within moments. 

 

\--- 

 

I woke up to Louis stumbling through the door. I blinked at the sudden light, brain slowly catching up with what was happening. Harry rolled out of bed and closed the door behind him. Louis tried to get handsy, but Harry insisted he get into bed. 

I watched, half-asleep, as Louis finally caught Harry's lips in a kiss. Harry resisted for a second, but then Louis bit his bottom lip and a small moan escaped his mouth. Harry was already only wearing boxers, which was convenient since Louis needed help getting out of his own clothes without falling over. The bed bounced slightly as they fell onto it, Louis thrusting against Harry's thigh, begging for friction. Harry grabbed the lube and fingered himself open for Louis - they'd done this recently enough that it didn't take long before he was guiding Louis's cock into him. 

Louis played with Harry's nipples as he started to thrust in and out, smirking down at his boy as Harry started to writhe under him. 

" _Louuuu_ ," Harry moaned. "Right there, right there. _Please._ " 

"Shhh," Louis hushed him. "Baby girl's sleeping." He looked over to see that I was awake and winked, making me blush slightly. 

Harry was biting his lips, trying to stay quiet, though. Louis sucked a mark onto his chest, just above his bird. He picked up the pace, then, quietly grunting as he thrust in and out. Harry's cock was bouncing around, untouched, as he whined, trying to be silent. 

Louis finally wrapped his hand around Harry, getting him to come within moments. Harry whimpered as Louis fucked him - a few more hard thrusts and then he was coming, too, moaning Harry's name. He collapsed onto Harry afterwards, too tired to move. The alcohol kicking into the tired stage, now that the horny stage had been satisfied. The man was so predictable. Harry was still for a few minutes before he grunted, carefully shifting Louis towards me on the bed to shuffle off to the bathroom. He returned and Louis was already passed out. Harry cleaned him off and tossed the washcloth towards the bathroom before climbing back into bed. 

"Sorry we woke you," he whispered, once he realized I was awake. 

I smiled, tiredly. "'S'okay," I muttered. 

We both moved towards Louis, cuddling up next to him to go back to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry updates have been so spread out. I'm hoping to get them a little more regular now that Christmas is over and I won't be stressing about Christmas gifts.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Comments/kudos are much appreciated and totally make me smile, so I really love when you all leave them :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zayn POV

"Liam - " Zayn is cut off by Liam's lips pressing against his – sloppy with the bitter taste of alcohol. He allows it long enough to maneuver his drunk boyfriend far enough into the room to close the door and then pushes him away. "I think you better sleep it off, babe." 

"But Z!" Liam pouts. "I missed you!" 

Zayn rolls his eyes, avoiding Liam's puppy eyes. "It's four in the morn-ing," he protests around a yawn. "We need sleep." 

Liam's bottom lip juts out, pout perfected across his face. 

Zayn leads him over to the bed and leans down to pull Liam's shoes off. 

" _Zayn_ ," Liam pleads. Zayn looks up to see the outline of his cock pressing against the inseam of his jeans, begging for release. 

Zayn can't help the little noise escaping from the back of his throat. He'd never get used to this – Liam _wanting_ him, _begging_ him to touch. 

He unbuttons Liam's jeans and the man lets out a moan that Zayn feels down to his toes. He hasn't even properly gotten ahold of the man and he's falling back on the bed, squirming. 

"Please – _please,_ Z," he's begging. 

Zayn hushes him and pulls his pants down and off with his jeans. He takes Liam into his mouth without any warning, knowing the man needs quick and dirty – he'll probably pass out and Zayn to his own hand. He wraps his tongue around the tip before he takes as much as he can down his throat. His eyes water as Liam thrusts up – wanting more, but apologizing as Zayn pulls off. He wraps his hands around Liam's cock, pulling him off as he tries to clear the sore feeling from his throat. 

Liam's spouting nonsense, a wreck of want and need. He comes a few seconds later and mutters an endearment to his boyfriend before drifting off. 

Zayn wants to be mad at Liam for leaving him hanging, but he's so peaceful in his sleep – and Zayn _was_ already expecting this outcome. He sighs, staring at the beautiful sight before him. 

Not so many months ago, Zayn would've about creamed himself if Liam had shown up at his door in such a state. He allows the images to flood his mind as his fingers wrap around him, gently stroking. His other hand pushes Liam's shirt up, fingertips brushing across the six-pack being revealed. 

Liam sighs and Zayn's eyes dart up to see he's still sleeping. His hand picks up speed as his mind crosses between fantasy and reality. _Liam's fingers pushing into him... His mouth over Liam's cock... Liam's fingers in his hair, making him choke as he thrust in and out... Riding Liam's cock..._ And that's it. Zayn's cum spurts over the glorious six-pack before him. 

He collapses next to Liam for a few moments, catching his breath. He'd like to drift off – leave the mess as punishment for his boyfriend. Liam's body turns to curl into him for a cuddle and Zayn sighs, knowing the mess will spread. Squirming out of Liam's hold, he grabs a wet flannel from the bathroom and wipes them both off. Liam whimpers, but remains asleep. 

Zayn presses a kiss to Liam's shoulder and curls up behind him. 

 

\--- 

 

Liam groans. "Didn't you make me drink water before going to bed? You _always_ make me drink water?" Liam whines. "And it always helps." 

Zayn rolls his eyes. "I think you enjoyed the blow job just fine." He presses a bottle of water and paracetamol into Liam's hands. 

Liam pouts and takes the medicine. 

Zayn's already dressed and flitting around the room, tossing stray clothes towards his suitcase. 

"Pack for me?" Liam requests. 

Zayn tosses the skinny jeans he'd just found outside the bathroom at his head. 

A knock at the door prevents Liam from responding, but Zayn sees the pout on the way to answer, careful to keep Liam out of view. 

"Liam here?" Louis' chipper voice asks. 

"How the hell are you so awake?" Liam replies from his place on the bed. 

"I may still be a bit drunk, mate," Louis says, stepping around Zayn and into the room. "Riley didn't let me sleep in. Probably punishment for waking her last night – well, this morning." 

"She get her novel done?" Zayn asks. 

A small chuckle from Louis. "Yeah, I wasn't allowed back in the room until it was." 

"Don't blame her," Liam mutters. "You're loud when you're drunk." 

Louis huffs. "Yeah, well, Harry stayed and played the supportive boyfriend." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very short Rilourry and Niall chapters to follow. :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Riley POV

"You're grumpy this morning," Harry comments. 

I shoot him a look, unable to deny the accusation. 

"You should've slept longer, baby," he says in a placating voice. 

"I had to get up and pack," I remind him. 

"You know I would've taken care of it," he insists, carefully folding one of Louis' t-shirts. 

"Yeah, but - " 

"No, no. It would've gotten done. Don't worry so much." He adds the shirt to a growing pile on the bed. 

"I can't not worry, Harry. We've gotta get on a plane in a couple hours and deal with the stupid press and then I've got another novel to get edited by the end of the week. Oh, and the author of last night's novel has already emailed me twice this morning." 

Harry steps up behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders. "It'll all get done," he assures me. "We'll figure it out. One thing at a time. First, go take something for that headache you're fighting." 

"How did you - " 

"I _know_  you, babe." 

A smile fights its way across my face. 

"Now, I could make Lou come back and help us, but we both know he'd just throw it all in the suitcase and drive us crazy." 

I nod. 

He grins. " _In every job that must be done; there is an element of fun,_ " he adopts a tinny voice in an attempt to imitate Mary Poppins. 

I laugh and he continues, pleased. 

When Louis returns an hour later, we've sang our way through most of the Mary Poppins soundtrack and are already zipping up the suitcases. 

"Done already?" Louis asks. "Alberto said the car will be ready in twenty for you two." 


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Niall POV

"Yeah, babe," Niall mutters. "I've got to go." 

"It's not like they'll leave without you," the girl – _Thea,_ his brain reminds him – insists. She leans in for another kiss, but Niall's hand stops her. 

"I'm trying to be nice here," he says. "But I really need you to leave – because I've got to leave." 

"Can I get your number?" She asks, reaching for his phone. "So we can talk? When will you be in town again?" 

He wants to growl in frustration as he snatches it out of her reach. "Do you need money for a cab?" He asks in lieu of answering. 

She pouts and he's saved by a knock at the door. He answers it in nothing but his pants, knowing the whole floor is theirs. 

"You aren't even dressed yet?" Riley's annoyed voice greets him. 

"No, I - " 

She shoves past him, into the room. "I brought - " She stops, surprised at the other occupant in the room. Niall shoots her a pleading look and she continues. " - you a donut. Don't tell Harry." She turns to Thea. "There's a spare if you'd like to take one to-go." 

"I was just - " Thea starts. 

"He's got to pack and leave in ten minutes," Riley tells her. "I'd take it to-go." 

Thea glares at her but is outside the door five minutes later. 

"Can't you just tell them to leave?!" Riley exclaims. 

"I did!" Niall insists. "I didn't want to be too mean - " 

"I thought you usually picked up girls who weren't fans." 

"Yeah, well, she seemed nice yesterday," Niall mutters. "Normal, even." 

"Where'd you find her? A bar?" 

"Actually, we met before the show last night and I asked her out." 

"Aw, well, that won't be earning you the second date you need, will it?" 

Niall shoots her a glare as he continues shoving everything into his suitcase. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Switching POVs between chapters may make some chapters short like this, sorry. I hope you enjoyed the update though! :) Comments and kudos are super appreciated!


	15. Riley

"My parents want me to visit," I mutter. "And think I should get my niece and her friends tickets to the show." 

Harry snorts. "Oh, they do, do they?" 

"Tell them to bring her to the show." Louis shrugs. "The press'll like it." 

"Make it look like we all get along?" I ask, skeptically. 

"It's not such a terrible idea," Harry admits. "And Lou could meet your parents." 

I shoot Louis a guilty look. "I guess you have been wanting to meet them." 

"I am curious about my future children's grandparents," he says. "But it's up to you, love." 

"I already got tickets for a couple friends, though," I remind them.  

"We can get them in if you want," Harry assures me.  

I sigh. "Just Mom, Dad, and Amanda. They better not expect me to get the whole family in," I mutter, texting my mother. 

Harry chuckles, coming over to rub my back. 

"It's not funny," I pout. "And I don't trust them to know about us." I look over at Louis. "I'm sorry, Lou. But I don't know what they'd do. If it was just disapproval, it'd be one thing, but I don't want them blabbing to the tabloids or something." 

Louis won't meet my eyes as he assures me that it's fine. 

Harry calls the appropriate people to tell that my parents and niece need tickets to the show in a couple days. 

"I love you," I whisper, moving over to sit closer to Louis. 

A small smile crosses his lips. "Love you, too." 

Harry finishes on the phone and comes over to sit on my other side. Louis's phone rings and he's disappeared out the door a moment later. 

"He's just big on family, love," Harry assures me. "You know that. He's handling it the best he can." 

"I know," I concede. "I just hate being the one to make him feel like that." 

"Maybe once he meets them he'll understand better," Harry offers. "Although I think he may go all protective boyfriend on them if they aren't careful." 


	16. Zayn

"I've got some meetings today, so I won't see you 'til I get to the show later." 

"Meetings with who?" Zayn asks. 

Liam waves his hand around vaguely. "Just business stuff." He grabs his phone and wallet off the dresser. "I'm sure you'll survive without me," he teases, coming over to kiss his boyfriend goodbye. 

Zayn hasn't even gotten out of bed yet, preferring to stay under the covers a bit longer. His fingers reach up to curl around the other man's neck, prolonging the chaste kiss into something more. Their tongues curl around each other. Liam's knee lands on the bed, catching his balance as Zayn refuses to release him. He lightly bites Zayn's lip in retaliation; Zayn takes the warning and slowly loosens his hold on the man. Liam pulls back and grins, still leaning over him. 

"Trying to convince me to stay?" 

Zayn smirks. "Just giving you a proper goodbye kiss, babe." 

Liam glances at the clock. "I really do have to go." He presses another kiss to Zayn's lips. "I'll see you later." 

Zayn waves him off. "Yeah, go meet. Do business. Whatever." 

Liam laughs and leaves the room. Zayn grabs his laptop and wastes some hours catching up on _Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D._  He orders room service and shoots Riley a text, asking if she's up-to-date before live-texting her as he watches the show. He'd usually do this to Liam, but he already knows his boyfriend's behind. Besides, Liam'll be irritated to be the only one behind after today. 

Riley tells him she's headed to the arena, reminding him that he probably ought to get dressed and find out when he can get a ride over. 

He scrolls through Twitter in the car. That's when he sees the pictures from Liam's lunch meeting. 

Liam's hugging some woman and kissing her on the cheek. The fans and tabloids are already speculating over who Liam's new "lady love" might be. 

Zayn knows he should shrug it off. The tabloids like to exaggerate. But there's one picture that catches his attention: Liam has his hand pressed to the small of her back as they leave the restaurant. It's the look on Liam's face that has him pausing. His whole expression is exuding happiness in a way that Zayn has rarely seen and he's jealous that it isn't directed at him.  

He holds it together all the way inside to his dressing room: saying 'hello' to the appropriate people, smiling, waving. 

Then Niall stops by for a chat and immediately knows something is up. 


	17. Niall

"Z? You okay?" 

"Fine," Zayn snaps. He's got his sketchbook out, but he's not doodling like usual. The pages are flipped angrily back and forth, awaiting their artist's wrath. 

"Mate - " Niall starts, concerned. 

"I'm fine, Ni," Zayn cuts him off, not even looking up. "Did you want something?" 

"Just stopping by to say 'hello'," Niall replies. 

Zayn glances up, an apology stalling at his eyes. "I just want to be alone." 

"Sure, yeah," Niall agrees, backing out of the rom. "I'll leave you to it." Niall knows Zayn's trying to play his mood off as an introvert's need to recharge, but he knows Zayn better than that. He heads down the hall to Louis and Harry's dressing room, knocking at the door. 

"C'mon in," Riley's voice calls. 

He opens the door to find Riley and Harry wrapped up in a cuddle on the couch.  

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything," Niall teases. "Just looking for Louis." 

Riley's face falls slightly and Niall almost asks, but Harry's already speaking. "He's around somewhere. Disappeared just a bit ago." 

"Ah, guess I'll have to find him." 

"What'd you need?" Harry asks. 

"Well, Z's in a bit of a mood - " 

"Oh, Liam should be here any second," Riley assures him. 

Niall shrugs and chooses a chair to sit in. "Guess he'll be coming by here?" 

"He promised me a smoothie," Riley replies with a small smile. 

Harry shakes his head. "Got that man wrapped around your finger." 

Niall snorts. "He's not the only one." 

Harry doesn't reply, just presses a kiss to the side of Riley's head – possessive, almost. 

Liam chooses that moment to appear at the open door. "Double berry smoothie for the lady?" 

Riley grins and takes the cup and straw from his hand. "Thanks, babe." 

Harry shoots her a frown, but she's already sipping on her smoothie, ignoring him. 

Niall laughs. "So easily pleased." 

Riley shoots him a look. "You're just jealous. Nobody brought you anything." 

Niall rolls his eyes. "Li, you should've brought your boyfriend goodies, too. He's in a mood." 

"A mood?" Liam asks. 

"A glaring-at-his-sketchbook mood," Niall confirms. "Not sure what's wrong. He wouldn't talk to me." 

Liam frowns. "I'll go talk to him," he mutters and disappears down the hall. 

Lou appears to do Harry's hair and remind them they've only got a couple hours until show time. 

Harry and Lou banter back and forth as she fixes his hair. Niall sweet-talks Riley into sharing her smoothie. They're settling into their pre-show comfort bubble when Louis finally appears. 

Louis's in the middle of teasing his boyfriend about the boots he's chosen for the show (gold and glittery) when they hear a door slam down the hall. They exchange a look and glance over to see Liam storm past the doorway. 

"What's going on there?" Louis asks, unaware of Niall's earlier concern. 

Niall shrugs. "Zayn was in a bit of a mood earlier. Must've taken it out on Li." 

Louis nods. "I'll have to talk to him." 


	18. Louis and Zayn

"Hey, Z. What's going on?" Louis asks, walking into Zayn's dressing room and taking a seat like he belongs. 

"Nothin', Lou," Zayn mumbles. "I'm fine." 

Louis rolls his eyes. "C'mon, we all know you and Liam just had a fight - " 

"It's just a disagreement," Zayn insists, refusing to look up from his sketchbook. "Don't worry. We'll play it off on stage. Nobody'll know a thing." 

Louis frowns. "We're not worried about how it'll go on stage, Z. We're worried about you. You two were fine last night. And Liam seemed to think you were fine an hour ago." 

"Well, Liam needs to - " Zayn stops himself, shakes his head and returns to his angry scribbling. 

"What'd he do?" Louis comes over to take the sketchbook away. "Do I need to go beat him up for you?" 

Zayn snorts. "Like you'd have a chance - " 

" _Hey_ , I'm offering to defend your honor here. Or – whatever has been offended. What's happened?" 

They stare each other down for a moment before Zayn finally cracks. "Have you seen what they're saying on Twitter?" 

Louis squints and shakes his head. "Why? What're they saying?" 

Zayn won't respond, so Louis tosses the sketchbook onto the couch and pulls his phone out. It only takes a few seconds for him to spot what Zayn's mad about. 

"Seriously, Z?" He says, exasperated. "It was probably a business meeting or something. Liam would never cheat on you." 

"Yeah?" Zayn shoots back. "That's why he lied to me about it? That why he's got stars in his eyes in those pictures?" 

Louis squints down at his phone. "I don't think I'd call those stars in his eyes..." 

"You don't understand," Zayn sighs, laying down on the couch and covering his face. 

"Zayn, the tabloids like to - " 

"That picture is not the tabloids twisting anything, Lou. He's clearly got feelings for the woman." 

Louis sighs, frustrated. "Okay, well, did you ask him about it?" 

Zayn doesn't reply. 

"Did you ask him about it?" He repeats. "Did you give your _boyfriend_  the benefit of trusting him enough to get his side of things?" 

"I didn't want to hear it, Lou. I _don't_  want to hear it." 

"Z, you aren't giving him a chance - " 

"I don't want to give him a chance!" Zayn exclaims, sitting up. "He's had a lot of chances. I'm in love with the bastard and he leaves this morning telling me he's got 'business meetings' all day. And then I see that? What am I supposed to think?" 

"It doesn't matter what you _think_ , it matters what you do. And what you should've done is given Liam a chance to tell you what that lunch was about and who that was." 

Zayn shakes his head. "How do I know he wouldn't lie to me again?" 

"How do you know he lied to you this morning? That could very well be a business meeting," Louis insists. 

"And he has to guide her out of the restaurant? And laugh at all her jokes? And look at her like she's precious and wanted?" 

"Zayn, he looks at _you_  like that." 

He looks away, tears filling his eyes. 

"He loves you, Z. I'm sure there's an explanation. Why are you spinning out about this? Why won't you let yourself be happy?" 

"It's not gonna last, Lou – He'll realize I'm moody and he'll leave me. Then what will I do? I can't have him and lose him – It'd be worse than never having him at all." 

Louis smiles. "You have him, though. And I don't think you're going to lose him. He's in love with you. And even if someday you two breakup, you'll survive. You won't be destroyed by some boy – even if it is Liam." 

Zayn takes a deep breath, getting his emotions back under control. "I don't know what to do." 

Louis rolls his eyes. "I'll send Liam back down here." 

"I'm not sure he'll want to – I think I pissed him off pretty good." 

Louis chuckles. "Well, I'll send Riley in. She's got him wrapped around her little finger. He won't say no to her." 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short updates are better than no updates, right? :( I'm trying to keep up to schedule and my other fic's update was already later than intended, so I wanted to make sure I got this one up on my intended day (today) so here it is! Zayn's a bit moody here and I'm sorry, but relationships and semi-broken hearts make you that way, right? Anyways, look for another update in a couple weeks. Hopefully it will be longer, but I don't want to make any promises :)


	19. Ziam

There's a knock at the door before it slowly opens, revealing his boyfriend. "Babe, can we talk?" Liam asks. 

Zayn purses his lips and nods. 

Liam closes the door behind him and strides over to sit on the table in front of him. "I'm not sure what exactly is the problem here, Z. You weren't making a lot of sense before, but I think we both just got caught up in the emotions and it all got more heated than it should have." 

"Yeah. Probably," Zayn concedes. 

Liam takes a deep breath. "So please explain why you think I'm cheating on you – or lying to you – or whatever the exact problem is." 

Zayn stares at his folded hands on his lap, trying to figure out what to say. 

"C'mon, Z," Liam says. "We have to talk now or we're going to have to wait 'til after the show and I really don't want to do a show with you mad at me like this." 

Zayn sighs. "I know." 

Liam waits another few seconds before reaching out to tilt Zayn's chin up to meet his eyes. 

Zayn closes his eyes, pained, and finally lets it all out. "You said you had a business meeting, but I saw the pictures and that didn't look like a business meeting. And the way you were looking at that woman – are you seeing her? Do you want to be seeing her? Was all of this a mistake? Because I - " 

Liam cuts him off with a quick kiss – just a peck of his lips. Zayn opens his eyes to see that Liam looks relieved, like he already feels better, but Zayn doesn't and that's not fair.  

"Liam, I - " 

"Just let me answer your questions, babe," Liam insists. "I did say I had a business meeting. And I did have a business meeting. That lunch was not my business meeting." 

Zayn's face falls, slightly. 

"No, wait. That wasn't a date or whatever, either. It was just an old friend that I happened to run into - " 

"Old _girl_ friend?" Zayn has to ask. 

Liam shakes his head. "We never dated. Just a friend. We went out for lunch to catch up a bit. That's all." 

"But Liam – I saw the pictures. You were looking at her like - " Zayn stops, choked up. "Like – l-like the w-way I thought you only looked at m-me." He crosses his arms and leans back on the couch, trying to put space between them, embarrassed at his confession. He stares at the wall to his right, waiting for the final straw.  

"Zayn," Liam starts. He waits for the other man to return his look to no avail. " _Zayn, baby_ ," he tries again. He glances at the door and then quickly climbs into Zayn's lap, forcing him to look at him. " _Baby_ , no. She's just an old friend. I've _never_  looked at _anyone_  the same way I look at you. You're my best friend. You're the most beautiful man I've ever known – You're the most beautiful _person_  I've ever known." 

"Li - " 

" _Nobody_  could compare to you, Z." 

"I can't believe you want me," Zayn mutters.  

"Well, I'm willing to spend lots and _lots_  of time convincing you of how much I _do_  want you, but we've got a show to do, baby." 

Zayn finally smiles – a small, shy smile that Liam immediately kisses.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I suck at updates. I have every intention of continuing this fic, I'm just not very good at sticking to a schedule. :(


	20. Riley

"We've gotta record tonight, babe," Harry tells me. "Last minute thing." 

"Oh, okay." I yawn. "Guess I'm heading up to bed alone then." 

Harry presses a kiss to my forehead. "We'll try not to wake you later. I'm not sure how late it'll be." 

Michelle calls as I'm sliding the key card into our door. "Hello?" 

"Heyyy! What're you doin'?" She asks, sounding slightly inebriated. 

I chuckle. "About to head to bed. What're _you_  up to?" 

"Bed? OH, am I interrupting anything? I don't want to be interrupting anything." 

"You're not interrupting anything, Michelle," I insist. 

"But its really early to be going to bed," she replies, confused. 

"Time difference," I remind her. 

"OHHHH, yeah. You're like forever away, I forgot." 

I grin. "Was there a reason for this call?" I ask. "Not that I don't love to talk to drunk Michelle..." 

"I'm not drunk!" She giggles. "Okay, I'm a little drunk. But I was going to tell you to come meet my new boyfriend, but I forgot your forever away with your boys." 

I bite my lip, wondering if she's alone. "Where are you?" 

Another giggle. "Outside." 

"Okay, and who is this new boyfriend? Did you just meet him?" 

"OH, I've gotta go!" She exclaims. "They want me back inside. Have fun with your boys!" She giggles. "Bye!" 

The call disconnects and I laugh, wondering if there really is a new boyfriend. 

I check my notifications on my phone. There's a text from Louis: 

 

 _Sleep tight, babe. Love you_. 

 

And one from Harry: 

 

 **Love you.**  

 

I smile and type back a quick response before changing and climbing into bed. 

 

\--- 

 

I wake up to harsh words being exchanged. They're trying to be quiet, but it still wakes me. 

"You can't be mad at her for this," Harry whispers. 

"I'm _not_ , Haz." 

"You're acting like - " 

"Stay out of it. It's between me and her." 

"Oh? That's why you keep avoiding her? Come in and fuck her and leave?" 

Louis slaps him for that, I hear it and can't pretend to sleep any longer. 

" _Louis_ ," I chastise. "What the hell?" I crawl out of bed and start towards Harry, but he shakes his head. "What's going on?" 

The two men stare each other down for a moment. "It's nothing, Riley. Let's just go to sleep," Louis mutters. 

"You just hit him and you're telling me its nothing?" I ask, incredulous. 

"Let's just talk about it tomorrow," Harry says. 

"But - " 

"Just leave it," Louis insists.  

I crawl back into bed. When they join me on either side a few minutes later, I can't help but wonder if they don't want to be next to each other. 

"I love you," I whisper. "Both of you." 

Louis presses a kiss to my shoulder and Harry squeezes my hand. 

I lay awake between them for I don't know how long and escape to the bathroom at the first hint of light coming through the window. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading :) Comments/kudos always appreciated!


	21. Chapter 21

Liam pushes Zayn against the wall as soon as the room door closes behind them. He kisses him, pressing against him like Zayn was oxygen and he was suffocating. Liam's fingers curl against the back of Zayn's neck. Zayn whimpers when Liam bites his lip before moving down to his neck.  

"L-Liam, what're you - " 

"Want you," he murmurs. "Always want you." He sucks at Zayn's neck, leaving a mark that their stylists will be thrilled to see tomorrow.  

" _Babe_ , you don't have to – d-do this," he insists, stumbling over the words as Liam's fingers start to unbutton his jeans. 

He pauses, moving to look into his boyfriend's eyes. "I _want_ to, baby. But if you aren't – I mean, I can stop. I don't _want_ to stop, but if _you_ want me to - " 

Zayn cuts him off with a kiss and then shakes his head. "Could we move away from the door, though?" 

Liam laughs. "Yeah, of course." He presses their lips together once more, leading Zayn backwards into the room. 

Zayn falls back onto the couch as soon as his knees touch it and Liam's quickly on top of him. Liam's cock is hard in his jeans, a rigid outline that Zayn can't help but want to release. He starts to unbutton him, but Liam pulls away, moving down to focus his own attention on Zayn's hardening erection.  

He moans when Liam get his hand around him. " _Yes_ ," he hisses. 

"What do you want, baby?" Liam asks, carefully stroking him until he'd curve up to his stomach if Liam were to release him. 

"Feels so good," Zayn murmurs, knowing there's a question, but not really listening. 

"You want my mouth?" 

Zayn hums, closing his eyes. He feels Liam's tongue drag up his shaft before circling the head. He kisses Zayn's tip and then takes a few inches into his mouth. Liam's hand holds Zayn's hip to keep him from moving. He lightly sucks and Zayn's fingers tangle into his hair.  

"Yes, yes, yes," he chants as Liam slowly starts to bob his head. He takes a little bit more each time, keeping his hand moving in time with his mouth. He pauses a moment with just the tip in his mouth and then Zayn feels a finger feeling around for his hole. He's not sure when Liam got lube out, but he can't hate the surprise when Liam starts to massage at his entrance, before slowly pressing the tip of his finger inside. 

"More, more," Zayn says. "I can take it." 

Liam pulls off his cock for a moment. "Have you ever?" 

"Fuck, yes. Finger myself just thinking about you." 

Liam freezes a moment in surprise.  

" _Move_ ," Zayn demands, squirming his hips to get more friction. 

 


	22. Rilourry

I wake up to Harry's beautiful green eyes watching me. 

"I don't like it when you fight," I murmur. 

His face falls. "What're you talkin' about, baby?" 

"You and Lou," I reply. "I hate it when you fight." I shift to lie on my back and realize Louis's already gone. 

Harry squints over at me. "Where'd you get the idea that we're fighting?" 

"I woke up when you came in last night." 

He shakes his head. "No, you didn’t, love. We both slipped into bed without you moving." 

I stare at him for a moment. "You were arguing and he slapped you." 

He frowns. "Baby, nothing happened last night. We recorded some vocals with Jamie and both came up and climbed into bed. You were fast asleep." 

I blink slowly. "It seemed so real." I pause, trying to wake up more fully. "Where's Lou?" 

"Gone before I woke up. Probably went to get his workout out of the way." 

"And you're sure you two haven't been fighting?" 

Harry shakes his head. "We had a minor scuffle over him smoking yesterday, but that's practically foreplay at this point." 

I chuckle. "Okay. I'm glad." 

Harry pauses, bites his lip, and asks, "What about you two?" 

I frown. "I – I dunno. We haven't really – we're not really fighting." 

"But you're not really – well, you two just seem a little off lately. I haven't wanted to bring it up, but now you're dreaming that we're fighting and – I dunno. Maybe your subconscious is telling you something?" 

"I wasn't fighting with either of you in my dream, though. I just got upset that you two were fighting." Every conversation I've had with our boyfriend in the last few weeks starts filtering through my mind. _Were_ we okay? Was Harry onto something? I couldn't remember the last time that Louis and I had spent any time alone that hadn't been physical. We hadn't really been talking much, I realized.  

 _"Come in and fuck her and leave."_ The harsh words from the dream argument come floating back. They were arguing about me. My subconscious had Harry sticking up for me when I didn't even realize there was a problem. 

"We haven't really had a one-on-one date in a while," I muse. 

"I'm sure we could find some time next week," Harry offers. "This week is pretty hectic - " 

"Yeah, we're meeting up with my parents tomorrow and I've got a conference call - " 

"We've gotta fly out today for the concert tonight and we've got interviews all day tomorrow," Harry continues. "All before the lunch with your parents." 

"And you've got that meeting..." 

I hear the lock on the door click open and Louis appears a moment later. 

"What're you two still doing in bed?" He asks, walking over to dig through his suitcase. 

"Attempting to schedule a date," Harry replies, reaching over to grab his phone off the bedside table. 

"I thought you were going out with Riley's parents for lunch on Friday," Louis replies. 

"I don't know that that will be any fun for a date, but yeah," I reply. "We were actually trying to find time for me and you." 

A flicker of surprise crosses his face. "Oh, well, I think I'm pretty much booked for the next couple weeks." 

"That just means we need to plan ahead," Harry insists, flicking through our synced calendar on his phone. "What about next Saturday? We've got the day off." 

He shakes his head, stepping into the bathroom to start the shower. "Eleanor's flying in." 

"What about the following Tuesday?" I propose, glancing over at Harry's phone. "How long is Eleanor here for?" 

"A week or two?" Louis replies. "I think they want her here for the last show, so maybe longer?" 

I frown. "So that puts us into mid-October?" I grab my phone and pull open the calendar on my own screen. "And you've got, what? A week before promo for the album starts?" 

"Anyone want to join me?" Louis asks, stripping his t-shirt and joggers off. "Conserving water is very important," he adds, smirking. 

Harry and I share a look and we both climb out of bed to follow him. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed :) I've been crazy busy, but I've also been seriously missing writing, so hopefully I get back to keeping on my fics/writing :)
> 
> Comments/kudos/etc appreciated!
> 
> Thanks for reading


	23. Niall

It wasn't Niall's first threesome and he sincerely doubted it would be his last. The girls had propositioned him together, but it didn't look like they'd done this before. 

The taller blonde had introduced herself as Serena and her brunette friend as Blair. He doubted those were their real names – he'd sat through his fair share of _Gossip Girl_ with various girl-friends over the years. 

They were trying a little too hard, in his opinion. Louldy kissing each other and overdoing the strip tease. He shucks his own clothes and sped things along, sinking into Blair as he continues to kiss Serena. 

Niall vaguely wonders if threesomes work better with two dicks instead of one. He tries (and fails) to keep his mind from turning to Riley and his bandmates. 

He moves to mouth at Serena's breasts, trying to focus on the girls in bed with him. Blair's moaning beneath him and he can't help wondering if she's faking it. Overdoing it, at least.  

Twenty minutes later, they're on the way out and he's heading for the shower. 

His mind wanders as he cleans himself up, enjoying how the hot shower burns away the Gossip Girls' scents. 

 

\--- 

 

L: You coming my way soon? 

N: A couple weeks. Why? Need my fingers? 

L: Don't be crass, Ni. Stuck on this chorus bit. Thought you might help? 

 

Niall pulls up FaceTime and calls her. The pretty brunette appears on screen. 

"Niall! Hey!" Her southern accent greets him.  

"Lennon, how's life?" Niall asks.  

"Good, yeah. You?" She appears distracted, glancing away from the screen.  

"This a bad time?" 

"Sorry, yeah," Lennon apologizes. "I'm in the midst of this thing." 

"Oh, okay. Call me later? About that song?" 

She nods and hangs up without another word.  

 

\--- 


	24. Ziam

Zayn squints across the room. Liam's on the couch, pulling his tennis shoes on. 

"Where're you goin'?" Zayn mumbles, propping himself up on one elbow. "Time s'it?" 

Liam shoots him a smile. "Gym. I'll be back in a bit, babe." He climbs halfway on the bed to lean in and press a quick kiss to Zayn's lips. 

"Nah, I'll join you," Zayn insists. "If you can wait five minutes." 

"Sure, babe." 

 

\--- 

 

Zayn rubs his eyes as they make their way down the hall.    
"You didn't have to get up," Liam gently reminds him, hand settling across the back of his neck. 

"I know," Zayn mumbles. "I missed yesterday, though." 

Liam chuckles. "Maybe we should sync our schedules." He flashes Zayn a dark look. "Seeing you all hot and sweaty is sure to motivate me out of bed." 

Zayn rolls his eyes. "I'm not sure Mark would appreciate us eyeing each other through our entire session." 

They reach the elevator and Liam moves away from Zayn to push the correct button. 

"We don't work with Mark all the time," Liam points out. 

"Do we need another excuse to spend time together?" Zayn quirks an eyebrow at him. 

Liam smirks. "You mean you don't want another reason to get sweaty with me?" He steps into Zayn's space, hand settling on Zayn's hip. "You worried I'll be too much of a distraction?" 

Zayn swallows thickly. "Let's just see how today goes." 

Liam smirks at the slight strain in his voice. The elevator halts and he quickly steps away when all he wants to do is _touch_. 

 

\--- 

 

"There's cameras, Li," Zayn hisses as he deftly avoids the kiss Liam was about to land on his lips. 

Liam groans. "There's _always_ cameras." 

Zayn chuckles. "Not _always_. We just have to be careful." He takes a few gulps of water before switching to the treadmill. He pulls his tank top off, draping it over the railing before programming the machine. 

"Not fair," Liam says, gesturing. "I get to look at all of that, but I can't touch. Not fair." 

Zayn rolls his eyes, but smiles slightly. He knows Liam's being a bit over-the-top with his affections this morning. After last night, he can't say he minds. 


	25. Rilourry

"You're amazing," Louis murmurs, pressing his lips to mine. 

I smirk. "Tell me that when you're not coming down from an orgasm." 

Harry pushes a towel into my hands, kisses my forehead, and turns to wrap a towel around Louis's waist. "Love you," Harry murmurs, pressing a kiss to his lips. 

There's a knock at our room door and both men sigh. Harry grabs a pair of boxers off the floor and goes to answer. 

"What time is it?" Louis asks as I reach for his phone on the counter. 

"Eleven," I tell him. "Looks like your mom called," I add, handing him the phone. 

" _Shit_ ," Louis exclaims, quickly tying the towel around his waist and exiting the bathroom. 

"What's wrong?" I ask, following him. 

"Lou, Liam's at the door - " 

"Be right there!" Louis calls. 

"Guess there's no time for afterglow," I mutter. 

Louis frowns over at me. "Lost track of time. Sorry, love." He pulls a pair of sweatpants on as I try not to pout. 

"I was thinking we could talk. Harry'll be heading to workout, so..." 

"I'm sorry, love," he mutters, coming over to press a kiss to my forehead. "I've gotta go." He pulls a t-shirt over his head, presses a kiss to Harry's lips, and is out the door. 

I throw a shoe at the door a few minutes later. 

"Hey, no violence in the hotel room," Harry says, returning to get dressed. He frowns over at me. "He's not really avoiding you. You know he'd rather stay." 

"No, he wouldn't. If he wanted to, he would." 

"Riley - " 

"Harry, don't." 

He snaps his mouth shut. He finishes getting dressed and grabs his phone from the bedside table. I'm sitting on the couch, staring at my suitcase. He steps over to kiss my forehead. "Be back in a bit." And then he's gone, too. 

My chin wobbles slightly, but I restrain the tears. The room is too quiet now. The words I want to say echo in my head as I finish getting dressed. 

 

\--- 

 

I manage to get started on a manuscript before my phone rings. It's my mother – confirming tomorrow's plans for the fifth time this week. 

"Hello?" I answer. 

"Riley! It's your mother," she says in an entirely too chipper tone. 

"Hi, Mom," I reply, attempting to sound enthused. 

"How are you, sweetie?" 

"I'm fine, Mom." I resist rolling my eyes. 

"And Harry?" 

"Fine. Yeah, we're all fine here." 

"Well, we'll be driving down tomorrow - " 

"We'll meet you at Rosario's on fifth at noon," I confirm, trying to cut this conversation short. 

"And you've confirmed the reservations?" 

I roll my eyes, basking in the momentary relief. "Yes, someone has." 

"What do you mean 'someone'? Didn't you or Harry call?" 

"It's confirmed, Mom. Promise. I had Harry double-check the other day when you called. We'll meet you there. It's under 'Edwards' if you happen to get there first." 

"I don't understand why the boy can't just use his own name for a reservation..." 

I zone out as she regales the behaviors of the privileged class. Five minutes pass with me barely getting a word in before I finally cut her off with insisting that I get some work done. 

"If Harry'd just commit already, you could stop working. Lord knows he makes enough - " 

"I've gotta go, Mom. See you tomorrow." 

She sighs. "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow. Be sure to dress appropriately." 

"Of course. Bye." 

I hang up and bang my head on the table in front of me. 

 

\--- 

 

I don't look up when I hear Harry come back, I'm deep into a manuscript – barely making notes, too enthralled by the story.  

He takes a shower before approaching me. I jump as a wet strand of hair brushes my ear as he leans down to kiss my neck. "Okay?" He murmurs, kneeling next to the desk. 

I pry my eyes from the screen, turning to look down at him. I brush his hair out of his face with my fingers. I bite the inside of my cheek, trying to reign in my emotions. "Yeah." I shrug, but he catches the tremor in my voice. 

"Baby," he whispers, voice full of concern. 

Tears fill my eyes, but I blink them away. "It's stupid." I shake my head. "I'm just... emotional or something." 

A single tear escapes the corner of my eye and he brushes it away with his thumb. "It's not stupid," Harry says. "You miss him. There's nothing wrong with that." 

"I sleep next to him almost every night. I shouldn't miss him. He's right there..." 

"Just out of reach." 

I nod, wiping away a few stray tears. 

"Well, we just need you to tell him that." 

"There's not time. He's avoiding me." 

A determined gleam enters his eyes. "I'm gonna make it happen. It may take me a couple days to find an opportunity." 

I shrug. "I don't want you to feel like you're stuck in the middle - " 

He smirks. "You know how much I enjoy being in the middle, though." 

I laugh. "You know what I mean." 

"I know, baby. It's fine. I've tried to stay back, but I don't like you two being like this." 

"'m sorry." 

Harry stands and offers me a hand. "I've got thirty minutes for a cuddle, which it looks like you are in need of." 

I smile and join him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a long wait on the update. I hope you enjoy this :) 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Comments/kudos appreciated :)


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam chapter.

"You look awfully bright-eyed," Liam comments. 

"Shower sex will do that to a person." Louis smirks. 

"Oh yeah?" 

"Riley's said you don't like hearing about our exploits." 

"I'm working up to it. It's a bit different hearing it from you or Haz, anyways," Liam insists. 

Louis squints over at him. 

"Do I have to remind you that I co-wrote your song about morning blow-jobs?" Liam quirks an eyebrow at him. 

Louis chuckles. "True enough. What about you and Z? You two alright after the other night?" 

Liam shrugs. "I think so. Didn't quite realize how sensitive he was about – me and _us_ , I guess." 

"Well, we've all got our weak spots," Louis murmurs. "Riley's parents are coming tomorrow." 

"Yeah? Finally meeting the parents?" 

Louis frowns. "Not as her boyfriend." 

"She's still sticking to that?" 

"Yeah. Doesn't trust them, she says." 

Liam glances over at him as they wait on the elevator. "You think it's something to do with you?" 

Louis sighs. "Hard not to think that when your girl won't introduce you to her parents. Wants to go off and pretend it's just her and Harry. The perfect happy little couple." 

"I'm sure that's not - " 

"Forget it. You don't need to hear our problems, Li." 

Liam studies him for a moment before changing the subject. 

 

\--- 

 

"You have a good day?" Zayn asks, pressing a kiss to Liam's lips. 

Liam hums, pulling Zayn in for a longer kiss. His fingernails scrape against the short hair at the nape of Zayn's neck. Zayn's tongue presses between his lips and their tongues slide together in a delicious melody of heat and saliva. His hands land at Liam's hips and pull him closer. Liam's lips move down to kiss across his jaw.  

"You write another blowjob song with Lou?" Zayn tries to chuckle, but Liam's teeth nip at his neck and it turns into a breathy moan.  

"Just been thinking about kissing you all day," Liam tells him. "What've you been doing?" 

Zayn pulls him into another kiss as he walks them back towards the bed. Liam reaches down to cup Zayn through his jeans. He lets him fall back onto the bed and then unbuttons his jeans. "Off, off," Zayn pleads. 

Liam smirks up at him as he pulls Zayn's jeans down, Zayn lifting his hips in aid. "What do you want?" 

Zayn's eyes darken. "Want you to fuck me." 

Liam's mouth drops open. "Now?" 

Zayn nods. "Please, baby. Want you to." 

Liam climbs on the bed to press a kiss to his lips. "I hate to say no - " 

"Then _don't_." Zayn pulls Liam's shirt up and over his head.  

"We've got a show tomorrow, baby – I don't want you limping - " 

"Someone's awful confident." Liam's jeans get pushed off his hips and he stands to kick them off to the floor. 

"It'll be your first time," Liam reminds him. 

"I know." Zayn reaches into Liam's boxers and wraps his fingers around him. "But I want it be with you. Don't you want to see me stretched around you? Taking every millimeter of you inside of me?" 

Liam groans. "I'm just – a few days. Give me a few days. I want to make it good for you." 

"It will be good," Zayn murmurs. "Because it's us." 

"Not if I don't know what I'm doing." 

Zayn growls, frustrated. "Fine. Fine. Soon, though? Please." 

Liam nods, pressing a kiss to the corner of Zayn's mouth. "I don't want you limping across stage and giving us away," he murmurs. "Our fans are very perceptive." 

"Just wanna feel you, Li." He twists his wrist, causing a small moan to escape Liam's lips. "Let you fill me up." He lets go of Liam's cock and moves back on the bed. He shifts out of his boxers and tosses his shirt off the bed. "Toss me the lube?" He requests. Liam takes it off the bedside table and presses it into Zayn's hand. 

Zayn squirts some into his hand, carefully rubbing it between his fingers to warm it up. He gives his cock a few short tugs before reaching behind himself and massaging his hole. His eyes meet Liam's as he pushes the first finger in to the first knuckle. He sighs and sees Liam's eyes darken. Around and around he presses until he slides in a second finger. His eyes clench shut for a moment, adjusting to the intrusion. The bed shifts and he opens his eyes to find Liam crawling onto the bed towards him.  

"Li, what're you - " 

Liam manhandles him over onto his stomach, pulling his fingers free with a wet squelch. Zayn feels him pull his cheeks apart and just stare at him for several seconds.  

"Li, please. Touch me." 

Zayn gasps when he feels Liam's breath against his hole. Then he presses his lips against him in gentle kiss. Zayn prepares for Liam's fingers to enter him a moment later, but gasps in shock and pleasure when he feels Liam's tongue pressing against his entrance.  

" _Li_." His tongue slowly works its way into his already stretched hole, thrusting in and out in a quick rhythm. Zayn feels his eyes roll into the back of his head as he tries to remember to breathe. Everything disappears outside of the feeling of Liam's tongue up his arse. He can't remember anything ever feeling this good. He can't remember anything but Liam's name as he moans it and gasps it and presses his arse back into that beautiful face. Zayn blacks out for a moment when he comes, clinging to the bed, legs spread wide as he stretches to accommodate Liam's tongue; Liam's hand wrapped around his cock.  

 


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rilourry chapter.

Louis gets back to our room late – I wake up to him climbing into bed and he tells me to go back to sleep. Hours later, I wake again to the sun pouring through the window. 

"Have you seen my laptop?" Louis asks. He's half-dressed, walking around the room in a pair of skinny jeans and no shirt. 

"Did you leave it in our dressing room?" Harry offers. 

Louis shakes his head. "No – I had it yesterday." 

"It's in the drawer of the nightstand," I mumble. 

"Oh, thanks, babe." 

"Good morning," Harry whispers into my ear, kissing my cheek. I roll over to find him still in bed.  

"Do you have to go somewhere?" I ask Louis, frowning. 

"I've got a meeting, yeah," Louis answers. "I told you about it – there's a local band. Their stuff's pretty good. I promised I'd meet them." 

"Oh, I don't remember you mentioning them." 

"I'm sure I did," Louis insists, shoving a few things in his backpack with his laptop. "Anyways, I'll see you two tonight at the venue." 

"With my parents," I remind him. 

He frowns and avoids looking at me. "Yeah, with your parents. I know." He pulls a t-shirt over his head. "Shouldn't you two be getting up?" 

Harry shakes his head. "We've got a couple hours to kill. We're not meeting up with them until lunch. I've just got a couple radio things this morning over the phone." 

"Oh, well, I wish I wouldn't have scheduled this so early, then." Louis sighs. 

I bite my lip, nervous. "Um, what about tomorrow? Are you busy then?" 

He squints, thinking. "I think I have a session with Mark in the morning." 

Harry grabs his phone and opens their calendar. "Then you've got the rest of the day free until we leave for St. Louis. According to this, at least." 

Louis nods. "Why, love?" He asks me. 

I frown. "I don't feel like I've barely seen you in the last couple weeks." 

"Sorry. I've been busy. You know how it gets - " 

"Harry's been busy, too, and I still feel like he's been around a bit." 

Louis's eyes flash. "Well, then, why do you need me at all?" 

"Lou, that's not - " 

"I've got to go. I'll see you tonight. Don't worry, I'll make sure no one thinks I'm your boyfriend." He grabs his bag and slams the door behind him. 

 

\--- 

 

"Are you sure I look okay?" I ask for the fiftieth time. 

"You look great, love. It's just your parents and your cousin. Stop fidgeting." Harry pulls me down the sidewalk and into the restaurant. "Reservation for Edwards," Harry tells the host. 

The man's eyes flicker in recognition before leading them back to a table away from the windows. "Is this suitable, sir?" He asks, pulling out my chair for me. 

"Looks great, thank you," Harry replies. 

"Waitress should be over in a moment." The host disappears back to the front of the restaurant as various eyes dart in Harry's direction.  

Harry picks up a menu. "Have you eaten here before?" He asks. 

"Once, a few years ago - " I pause. "On a date." 

Harry smirks, glancing up at me. "Oh? Fancy place for a date. Who was he?" 

"Just some guy." I pick up a menu and start debating between meal choices.  

Harry's foot gently kicks mine. "Just some guy? Your boyfriend before – me?" I know he almost said 'us' and barely caught himself. Ears are aimed in our direction, hoping to catch some juicy bit of information. 

"No, he wasn't my boyfriend." 

"Just a date, then?" 

"We went on a few dates. Just didn't work out." I shrug. 

After a few seconds of silence, I look up to find him studying me. 

"What? You want a name and address?" 

He shakes his head, his eyes are dancing. "What did you have? Is it worth ordering again?" 

"I honestly don't remember," I reply. 

The host returns then with my parents and cousin in tow. The waitress is seconds behind, taking our drink orders as everyone sits down.  

"How was the drive? Okay?" I ask. 

"Long," Amanda mutters. She turns to Harry. "Are you _really_ Riley's boyfriend?" 

Harry smirks, barely holding back a giggle. "Yes, ma'am." 

"Amanda, don't be rude," my mother chastises her. 

"But - " 

"Amanda," my father cuts her off. 

"Riley, did you hear that April is getting married? Next summer, I think they decided on. She's a couple years younger than you isn't she?" My mom asks. 

"No, I hadn't heard. Is she still with that teacher?" 

"No, she's marrying a doctor. Only been together maybe six months." She glances at Harry. "Guess some men know when they've found a good thing." 

"Mom - " 

"What? I'd just like to see my little girl get married. Before she's thirty - " 

"Mom, I'm not anywhere near thirty." 

"So? Don't you want to be married?" 

"That's not – in the cards for us – right now," I stumble over my answer. "If ever." 

She turns to Harry. "You don't want to marry my daughter?" 

My eyes widen in silent apology. 

"Ma'am, that's not – I mean, we haven't really talked about it. We're happy with how things are." 

"Mom, please - " 

"Diana, I think we should let them make these decisions for themselves," my father tells her. "Although, I don't know that I appreciate my daughter living with a man out of wedlock." 

"Oh my god, _Dad_ , that's none of your concern." 

"I think they still live with that roommate of Harry's anyways," my mom tells him. "Clearly not ready to grow up." 

"But perfectly happy to play pretend," my father agrees. 

"Oh, does Louis still live with you?" Amanda asks Harry. "I thought he would've been living with Eleanor by now. They've been together ages longer than you two. Are they getting married soon?" 

"No." Harry and I both respond. 

"They aren't getting married," I clarify. 

"But he still lives with you?" 

"He has his own house," Harry offers, vaguely. 

"What about Zayn and Perrie?" She asks. "When are they getting married?" 

"I don't know. You'd have to ask Zayn. Or Perrie," Harry replies. 

"I don't know why people bother to get engaged if they aren't going to set a wedding date," Amanda states. "Besides, if you're already living together, what's the difference if you get married? I mean, besides changing your last name – but some girls don't even do that anymore."   
"It's ridiculous," my mother mutters. 

The waitress re-appears to take our orders, cutting off the conversation for a few moments.  

"Do I get to meet them all tonight? Liam and Zayn and Louis and Niall, I mean," Amanda asks. 

"Yeah, they should all be around," Harry says. 

"Maybe you should thank Harry for the tickets for the show," my mother prods her. 

"Oh, yes, thank you for the tickets, although I don't understand why I couldn't bring Molly along. Surely there could've been - " 

" _Amanda_ ," my mother chastises her.  

"Well, there ought to be _perks_ to your cousin dating somebody famous, shouldn't there?" She protests. 

"We did what we could," I mutter. 

Harry's feet wrap around my ankle under the table. "Are you all staying in town for the night? The concert won't get out 'til late, I hate to worry about you all driving." 

"We got a cheap hotel room," Amanda whines. "I was hoping we could stay with you guys at your hotel. I'm sure it's much nicer." 

Harry and I exchange a look and I bite my tongue. "It's packed," I offer. "Seems like most of the hotels are. There's the concert tonight and there's some convention going on downtown." 

"Yes, we barely found this place," my dad says. "It's perfectly fine, though. Amanda is just being dramatic." 

I barely make it through lunch without throwing something. My mother keeps hinting that Harry needs to commit while Amanda is being a spoiled brat about everything. 

We separate to drive over to the stadium.  

"Oh my god," I exclaim as soon as the door shuts behind us. "How are they even more terrible than I remember?" 

Harry chuckles. "It wasn't that bad." 

I just stare at him for a moment. "Not that bad? Amanda expected to get to stay with us. Not just at our hotel – _with us_. Like, in our room. Why in the world would we want her in our room?" 

"She's overexcited." 

"She's _spoiled_." 

"That, too," Harry admits. He pauses for a moment. "Has Lou texted you?" 

"No. I – he hasn't talked to me since this morning. Why?" 

Harry pulls his phone out. "He isn't answering me." 

"He should be at the venue." I shrug. "He's probably just been busy." 

"Yeah, I guess so." Harry stares at his phone for a moment before sliding it back into his pocket. "Yeah. Probably busy." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update!! Hallelujah do I hear? :) I haven't abandoned, I've just been busy. Going to try to update this at least once a month from now on. If not more. We'll see.


	28. Chapter 28

"Lou, you alright?" Zayn asks.  

Louis shrugs off his concern, exiting the dressing room.  

Zayn turns to Liam. ". "What's his problem?" 

"I think the whole meeting Riley's parents thing is bothering him. You know, since Riles won't let him say he's her boyfriend?" 

Zayn frowns. "She doesn't really talk to her parents much anyways, does she?" 

Liam shakes his head. "Not much, no. But you know Lou, family's important to him. And they're serious - him and Haz and Riley? I think he's wondering if she'll ever tell them. If it'll be years and years of lying and saying he's the roommate." 

Zayn sighs. "And he's already half-closeted because of management." 

Liam nods. "Not that he wants to admit any of this." 

"How's Riley?" 

"I don't really know. She's been stressed about her parents' visit." 

 

\--- 

 

"Amanda, this is Zayn and Liam," Riley introduces them to her little cousin.  "Zayn, Li, this is my cousin, Amanda. And this is my mom and dad." 

"Nice to meet you," Liam replies. "Hope you enjoy the show." 

Amanda eyes them up and down. "Do you have a girlfriend?" She asks Liam. She doesn't even give him a chance to reply before turning to Zayn. "Aren't engaged to Perrie? From Little Mix?" 

"Oh, you're engaged?!" Riley's mother exclaims. "That's so sweet. Riley, why haven't you and Harry committed? His band mate has time for a serious relationship - a commitment. Are you sure - " 

"Actually we broke up," Zayn interrupts at a pleading look from Riley. 

Riley's mother's face falls. "Oh. Well, that's too bad. I'm sorry." 

Zayn shrugs. "It's for the best." He glances at Liam. "I think we're both better off apart." 

"Louis, these are Riley's parents and Amanda, her cousin," Harry introduces them. He'd disappeared for a few minutes to track their boyfriend down and his eyes are shining like they'd had an argument. Louis's turned up the charming act, though, shaking their hands and joking about how it is to live with the two of them. 

It feels like a chill passes through the room when Louis glances over at Riley and jokes about her and Harry being co-dependent. 

"I was surprised that she wanted to follow him on tour," her mother says. "She was so career-oriented before, but I guess when you find the one, you know it." She smirks, leaning closer to Louis, even though she's still speaking loud enough for them all to hear. "Although, I’m not sure he's quite as committed to my little girl - " 

" _Mom_." 

Louis plasters on a smile and chuckles. "Oh, I can assure you, they're very happy together. It's sickening, really." 

Zayn's stomach is in knots at the way Louis is acting; he can't imagine how Riley feels. Or Harry.  _God_ , they've made a mess of things. 

 

\--- 


	29. Chapter 29

"I'll go track down the other two," Harry quickly offers before entering the dressing room with Liam and Zayn. Riley's parents barely nod before he's off down the hall.  

Louis hasn't spoken to him since this morning, which wouldn't be a big deal, but things are weird. Riley and Louis are fighting - sort of. Harry doesn't want to get in the middle of it, but he's wondering if Louis put him in the middle.  

He finds Louis talking to some of the guys double-checking their sound equipment.  

"Hey, Lou?" He hesitantly approaches.  

Louis turns and the smile drops off his face for an instant before he plasters it back on. His eyes aren't crinkling, though. It feels like a sharp jab to Harry's gut. "Hey, Haz. Where's Riley?" 

"I left them with Z and Liam," Harry informs him. "I wanted to talk to you." 

Louis's eyes narrow slightly. "I guess I should come meet them, huh? Her cousin's a big fan." He excuses himself from the other guys and they all look at Harry, confused by his casual attitude towards his boyfriend.  

"Louis - " Harry starts as soon as they're out of earshot. 

"Don't. I just - I can't right now." Louis's words are harsh and quick. 

Harry wishes there were time to stop and argue and scream and hash all of this out right now, but Riley and her parents are waiting. They'll start asking questions if he doesn't return.  

 


	30. Chapter 30

I usually enjoy watching the boys perform. Harry's silly on stage - flirting and laughing with the audience. Louis's a bit more serious, but he's almost always got this giant grin that crinkles his eyes. 

But tonight, it's stilted. The audience doesn't notice - maybe they don't care. There are probably a few observant fans that see that something is off, but mostly they're oblivious. Harry's not quite as exuberant. Louis's not quite as smiley. Zayn sticks close to Louis's side as much as he can. Liam and Niall try to pick up the slack and act crazier than usual.  

I stand in front of my seat next to Amanda and plaster a smile on. I clap and yell on cue. My parents and Amanda are completely unaware of anything being wrong. That's exactly what I want - except that I prefer there really were nothing wrong.  

After the show, I walk my parents out to the parking lot. I hug them and wish them well. Make promises that I won't keep about calling and visiting more often.  

I walk slowly back up to the building, waving a backstage pass at the guard by the back door. I wonder through the building towards the boys' dressing rooms, trying to figure out what I'm supposed to say when I find Louis or Harry. 

I hear them before I see them. 

"You have  _no_  right to say that to me!" 

"I bloody well do have the fucking right!" 

"She has nothing to do with - " 

"She had everything to with this - " 

"I can't believe you just - " 

"You didn't have to - " 

"I  _did_  have to. What the fuck is your - " 

"I can't believe you. You're such a fucking bastard." 

"You can't just - " 

"Don't tell me what I can and cannot do." Harry's voice is deep and scary in its anger. I almost don't want to open the door that they're fighting behind. I take a deep breath, glance across the hall to see Liam give me a small smile and an encouraging thumbs-up. 

"We said not to - " Louis stops when he sees that it's me. His anger doesn't lessen, it just freezes for a moment. His eyes turn icy before he speaks again. "Here you go, Harold, your girlfriend is here. Go off and be the happy couple everyone expects." 

"Louis - " 

"Don't talk like that," Harry says, stepping up into his space. "You're the one with the problem here. You  _know_  this is how things have to - " 

"No, Harry. They  _don't_  have to be like this. Not with everyone we meet. Not with our  _families._ There are people who should know. There isn't - " 

"I don't want to tell them," I jump in. "Is this seriously about that? My stupid parents that I barely ever talk to and don't even like all that much?" 

Louis's gaze turns to me. "There's no good reason that you didn't want to tell them - " 

"There's a perfectly good - " 

" _No_ , there's not a good reason. You're ashamed of me. That's what's going on here. You don't want the world to know you're in some weird poly relationship, so you boot me out at every convenience. How is that fair?! Huh? Why do you two get to be the happy fucking couple?" 

"Louis - " 

"Fuck off, Harry," Louis mutters, shoving him away and taking off out the open door. 

" _Louis_ ," I scream after him. He's too quick for the both of us, though. He's disappeared into an SUV and left before we catch up. "The fuck are we supposed to do now?" 

Harry doesn't respond and I reach out to touch his arm, trying to get his attention. He shoves me away and then growls. "God, just - " He takes a deep breath. "Baby, just give me a minute." 

I step back down the hall to the dressing room, laying down on the couch. Liam appears a moment later, hesitantly peeking into the room.  

"You okay?" He whispers. 

I groan.  

He walks over and lifts my feet to sit on the end of the couch. "What was that about?" 

I close my eyes and try to ignore him. I don't want to deal with the last half-hour. 

Liam pokes my side. "Riley? Are you okay?" 

"No." 

"Talk to me. It'll help," he insists.  

"Harry's mad," I mutter. "Like, really really mad." 

"I did notice that," Liam says. "With all the yelling." 

I sigh, trying to hold back frustrated tears. "I don't really know what happened." A tear breaks free and streams down my cheek. "I don't know why Louis's - I just - I don't know." 


	31. Chapter 31

"Mate, c'mon," Zayn says, reaching out to stop Harry.  

The younger man turns around swinging, but Zayn's been here before, he dunks and then grabs his arm to stop him. 

"Not the one you want to fight," he reminds him.  

Harry growls, frustrated. 

"You want to hit the gym?" Zayn asks. "Because that's going to be a lot more productive than going and getting drunk like I know you're thinking." 

"He's such a fucking bastard," Harry spits. "Why are you even here? Aren't you and Lou besties or some shit? Shouldn't you be calming him down? Taking him to the gym?" 

Zayn shakes his head. "You're my brother, too, Haz. And Lou left like a bat out of hell, if you don't recall. He didn't give anyone time to follow." 

"So what the fuck are you doing here? The boyfriend send you?" Harry seethes.  

"Stop being a dick," Zayn says, barely any emotions behind the words. "I know how you get - " 

"You don't know anything. Fuck off." 

"No. We're going to the gym. You can beat the shit out of something in there and stop taking it out on everyone else. You can calm the fuck down and talk to your girlfriend." 

 

\---- 

 

"Where do you think he went?" Harry asks. It's been a few hours; he and Zayn are on the way up to their floor at the hotel. 

"Probably out getting drunk," Zayn mutters. 

"I'd rather be drunk." 

"You can come have a drink - or five - in my room," Zayn offers. "Least then I know you won't be out doing something stupid." 

"That's why you stopped me?"  

"Partly." 

They step out of the elevator and walk down the hall to Zayn's  room. "Staying in Li's room, then?" Harry asks, glancing around at the bare room. 

Zayn nods, walking towards the mini bar. He tosses Harry a bottle of water first. "Better hydrate." 

"I just can't believe he would  _say_  that." 

"Not taking sides, mate." 

Harry shoots him a look. It's not the first time Zayn has said that tonight. "I know. Should've had Niall over." He chugs the entire bottle of water before reaching for the scotch out of the fridge. 

"Niall and Liam are out with Riley." 

Harry freezes. "No one's heard from him?" 

Zayn frowns. Harry hasn't said Louis's name since he'd dragged him to the gym. "He took Alberto with him. I'm sure he's fine." 

"Bloody prick, but yeah, sure." Harry takes a few gulps of the scotch straight from the bottle, wincing slightly.  


	32. Chapter 32

"You said you wanted to get drunk," Liam reminds me, setting down a tray of shots.  

Niall grabs three in quick succession, downing them without a flinch. 

I hesitantly take one, downing it with a slight shudder. "I know. I just prefer the fruity drinks." 

"Takes longer that way," Niall informs me. 

"Well, obviously. But it still tastes better." 

Niall nudges another shot glass towards me. "Whose boyfriends had a screaming match an hour ago?" 

I down another shot, glaring at the table. 

"And who has a boyfriend that almost took a swing at Zayn's beautiful face?" 

I frown. "He did what?" 

Niall quirks an eyebrow, pointedly looking down at another shot he's pushing towards me.  

I down it and repeat my question. 

"Zayn's quick and he's been around Haz when he's like this before. Didn't even touch him." Niall shrugs. 

"Zayn's got him working out - burning off calories along with all the anger." 

I chuckle, darkly. "Really think that'll work?" 

Liam shakes his head. "He's got alcohol in his room. Think he's planning that for later." 

 

\--- 

 

"Manidiot," I slur. "Bloody fucking idjit." 

Liam shakes his head. "You're not an idiot, Riley." 

"Am, too! Fucking fell for two guys." 

"And they both love you, too." 

"Riley! Cheer up!" Niall exclaims.  

My eyes fill with tears. 

"Hey, no, no crying," Liam says, rubbing my back.  

"I fucked it up," I cry. 

"They'll - they'll figure it out," he insists.  

Niall orders me another drink. "They love you! Don't be sad! Happy times! Happy happy times!" 

A waitress comes and sets another fruity drink in front of me. 

"I'm cutting you off after that," Liam informs me. "We've gotta head back." 

"People know we're here?" I glance down. "I look like fucking shit." The tears continue their path down my cheeks. 

Liam pulls his phone out, texting for a car to be brought around back. "No one has seen us," he assures me. "The Place is getting paid well to keep us hidden." 

"Sick of hiding," I mutter, frowning down at my drink. The tears cease and I slowly finish the fruity concoction. 

 

\--- 

 

"No, love, you're staying here for tonight," Liam tells me, steering me towards the bed.  

"But it's your bed," I protest. I sway slightly and he barely keeps me upright. 

"You're drunk," he says. "Lay down. Go to sleep." 

"But Louis - he doesn't like it - doesn't like it," I feebly resist. "And Zayn. Zayn. He doesn't." I pause, clutching my stomach. 

Liam rushes me into the bathroom just in time. He holds my hair back as I cry and throw up. 

 

\--- 

 

I wake up to blinding sunlight seeping through the window. I roll over, blindly reaching for a man to snuggle. I frown when I find Liam instead of Harry or Louis. He's still asleep and I slip out of bed.  

The morning light is quickly bringing back all the things the alcohol was supposed to make me forget. I fumble around the bathroom, finding pain killers for my head before brushing my teeth and taking a quick shower. I steal some of Liam's clothes to wear until I make it back to my own suitcase.  

"G'morning," Liam mumbles as I re-enter the bedroom. "How's your head?" 

I shrug. "Probably not as bad as I deserve." 

He frowns. "What're you thinking?" 

I bite my lip, crossing to sit next to him on the bed. "I'm thinking about leaving." 

"Back to your own room? That'd probably be good," he replies. "Whenever Haz and Lou come back, it'll be good for them to find you easily. You know, to apologize and all." 

"I mean I think I'm going back to London for a bit. Give them some space. I've gotta go back for some work stuff in a couple weeks, so I'll just see if I can move it all up." 

"Riley, running away isn't going to help." 

I scowl. "Maybe I don't want to help right now. Maybe I just want away for a bit." 

Liam frowns, sympathy creasing his features. "If that's what you need, then you should, but I think you should talk to them first. They'll want to know where you are. That you're safe." 

I nod. "I'll check in when I land at Heathrow." 

"I meant before you leave here." 

I bite my lip, blinking away fresh tears. "If I talk to them, I won't leave. And I think I need to. It'll only be a few days. A week tops." 

"Riley -" he starts to protest.  

The room door's lock clicks and we both turn towards it, surprised. Zayn enters a moment later. 

"Morning," he greets us and I'm glad he doesn't look irritated at my presence in his boyfriend's bed. "You okay?" he asks me. 

I shrug.  

"She wants to leave," Liam tells him. "How's Harry?" 

"Hungover. Showering when I left." Zayn pauses for a moment before continuing, "Anyone heard from Lou?" 

My breath catches in my throat for a moment.  

"No, nothing," Liam replies. "He's probably back by now, though. Crashed in his room, I expect." 

Zayn catches Liam's eye and I suddenly feel like he's keeping something from me. "What have you heard?" 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments/kudos make me happy!
> 
> Thanks for reading :)


	33. Chapter 33

Zayn sees the voicemail on his phone as he's getting dressed. It's from Louis or he probably would've waited to listen to it. As it is, he sneaks off to the bathroom to make sure Harry doesn't hear. 

" _Zayn, Zee, Zee."_ Louis sounds drunk, which is almost no surprise, but it is a surprise when the man starts sobbing a moment later. " _Fucked up. I fucked up… Drunk ain't even a good excuse. God, Z. Never gonna… Deserve better. I don't know if she kissed me. Maybe I kissed her. I don't even know her name. Fuck."_ There's some garbled noises that sound like he's dropped his phone. " _…I don't know what…._ ** _no, I don't want to_**." Zayn can hear Alberto trying to convince Louis to do something. Probably go back to the hotel. " _Don't tell them,_ " Louis's voice returns. " _It'll hurt_." Zayn hears a sob just before the voicemail cuts off.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is ridiculously short, but I needed it separate from the surrounding chapters :)


	34. Chapter 34

"What?" I demand. "What is that look?" 

Zayn shakes his head. "Nothing." 

"Have you heard from Lou?" 

Liam's eyes dart between us, unsure which of us to side with.  

"He left a message on my phone," Zayn shrugs. "But I'm pretty sure he's in your room now anyways. Probably sleeping off the hangover." 

I study him for a moment. "You're not going to tell me regardless of how much I beg. Loyal to Louis. I can respect that." Zayn nods, grateful. "Just know that I have more of a hope convincing Liam to tell me. So if I really shouldn't hear it from anyone other than him, I'd keep it to yourself." 

"You should hear it from him. All I got was a drunk voicemail." 

I sigh. "Okay." 

A moment of silence passes before Liam speaks, "You'll need your passport if you still want to leave." 

"Can you go stall Haz a few minutes?" I ask Zayn.  

He frowns. "You're sneaking out?" 

I shrug. "I don't want to talk to them right now. And I'd like to get back to London soon enough to get my meetings rescheduled for the week." 

 

\--- 

 

I make it all the way home before I break down. I'm crying as I slide my key into the door and barely manage to get it locked behind me as I slide to the floor and cry.  

The house's silence is screaming at me from every direction and I begin to question every decision I've made in the last twenty four hours. 

I pull my phone out and quickly calculate the time difference before ringing Liam.  

"You land okay?" He immediately answers. 

I sniffle before answering in the affirmative.  

"Crying can be good for you and all, but I hope you didn't think you needed to fly home for a good cry. I've got a perfectly good shoulder right here." 

An awkward choked laugh escapes me throat.  

"They're both worried about you," he adds, quieter. "Pissed that you left without telling them. Pissed at me and Z for not telling them before your plane left. Lou about hopped on the next flight to chase you." 

"He did?" I ask, cursing the hopeful note in my voice. 

"Of course he did," Liam reassures me. 

"Are they talking? Or yelling? At each other, I mean." 

"No," Liam replies, apologetic. "They're avoiding each other. Harry's moved down to Zayn's room." 

"Like that's going to help." 

"Says the woman that flew across an ocean to get away from them." 

"I didn't. I just…" 

"Yeah. You should call them. As soon as you're ready. Because they're going crazy." 

"I don't - I can't yet. I will soon. Just - I'm trying to figure out what happened. And, obviously, asking Louis would be the best way to do that, but I don't want to fight with him right now. Not from here." I take a deep breath. "I'd kind of just like to disappear a couple days. Work and… I don't know. Whatever can distract me." 

"Whatever you need. Just please check in with me if not them every day? So I can at least assure them that you're alive if you won't." 

"Yeah, fine."  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, they're still all fighting and not talking but we'll all make it past this haha


	35. Chapter 35

"He's just upset," Zayn murmurs, glancing over at Harry. "They aren't really blaming you. Or me. They're mad at themselves." 

"If I thought locking them in a room together would help, I probably would," Liam says. "Probably just make them more pissed at me, though." 

Niall comes over, in-ears and mic all hooked up and hidden under his clothes. "You talked to Riley?" He asks. 

Liam nods. "Just a few minutes ago. She's at home. Called me crying, but I think she just needs some alone time." 

"Alright, I hope so." He glances over at Harry and Louis - they're standing three feet apart and refusing to look at each other, much less speak to each other. "They're not exactly handling it well." 

"They'll be okay. All three of them," Liam assures himself as much as the other two. "It's just stress and miscommunication or lack of communication or - I don't know, but they'll work it out." 

"I heard her mum pushing her about why Haz hadn't proposed yet," Zayn tells them. "I hope that's not - " 

Liam shakes his head. "They gave her a ring. They may not be able to be legally committed, but they're definitely committed." 

"Don't little girls dream about a wedding, though?" Niall comments. 

"I don't - I don't think that's the problem right now - if it ever will be." 

 

\--- 

 

"You need to stay out of it," Zayn murmurs, pressing his lips to the space just below Liam's ear. 

"I know, but - " 

Zayn halts his words with a kiss. "They'll figure it out. Like you said, they'll be fine." 

Liam sighs, reuniting their lips. He pushes everything else away from his mind, enjoying the feel of the man against him - his  _boyfriend_. He stutters at the thought, just for a moment.  

Zayn's lips down to his neck, teeth nipping at his collarbone. "Okay?" 

Liam hesitates just long enough that Zayn pulls away. "It's nothing," Liam says a few moments too late. 

Zayn snorts. "That's really convincing." 

Liam shakes his head. "Just distracted." 

Zayn studies him for a long moment. "You'd tell me if something's wrong, right? I mean, we're clearly getting a front row seat to what happens when people don't communicate. They traipse around the globe avoiding one another." 

"Hey, she shouldn't have to - " 

"Not the question," Zayn cuts him off. 

Liam frowns, thoughtful. "It's not that's something  _wrong_." He pauses, trying to figure out how to say what he's thinking without hurting the man in front of him. 

Zayn slips his arms around his waist, pulling him into a half-hug of sorts. "Just tell me." 

"I just - I guess I'm still adjusting." He looks away from Zayn, afraid of his expression.  

"Adjusting? To us?" 

"To the whole…guy thing?" He glances back to find a small smile crossing Zayn's lips.  

"It hasn't been that long," Zayn assures him. "You've been adjusting a bit faster than I expected, to be honest." 

Liam sighs, relieved. "This is new for you, too, though. Why are you so well adjusted?" 

"Baby, I've been having dirty thoughts and dirty dreams and masturbating to your very image for longer than you realize," Zayn replies, tone all matter-of-fact. 

Liam blushes, settling his forehead against Zayn's shoulder. Zayn starts to sway and they're slow dancing with no music. "You shouldn't tell me things like that." 

"Why? I enjoy embarrassing you." 

Liam's hands move up to Zayn's shoulders as he lifts his head. "I'm worried," he confesses. "I've never… had sex with a guy. What if… what if it's terrible? What if I hurt you?" 

Zayn's eyes soften as he looks up at him. "You'd never hurt me. And if it's terrible, then we just need more practice. It'll be my first time with a guy, too," he reminds him. "I don't exactly have much to compare it to." 

Liam kisses him, because there's not any other way to respond. "You're too good for me." 

Zayn chuckles. 

 


	36. Chapter 36

Louis's thumb hovers over the 'send' button on his phone. The drafted message glares up at him:  _Hey baby, just checking in. Love you._   

He deletes it and sets his phone back on the table in front of him. She hasn't called or texted him, why should he text her? He knows he's being petty. He  _knows_  it, but he can't seem to snap out of it.  

They'd switched towns and hotels since she'd left. He still can't believe she actually just  _left_  without speaking to him. 

Harry'd came in and packed up his own stuff and unpacked in Zayn's empty room at the next hotel. Louis was left to pack Riley's belongings. He wasn't entirely convinced that Harry hadn't left it as a form of punishment. Packing her clothes had created an ache under his skin that wouldn't go away. It seemed to get worse with each passing hour.  

He picks up his phone again, drafting a new message:  _I miss you._  

Louis deletes it after a few moments. He almost texts the same thing to Harry, but he can't even do that.  

He hasn't told anyone about the girl at the club. He suspects Alberto saw it all, but he doesn't want to bring it up. He knows Alberto would never say a word anyways. He was drunk and he never really wanted to kiss her. He can't really deny any fault, though. He had been flirting with her. 

A knock at the door interrupts his thoughts. He crosses the room to answer it, shocked to find Harry on the other side. 

"Hi," Louis says, mentally berating himself for not coming up with something more eloquent - something that would get this man inside the room and keep him there.  

Harry clears his throat, holding out a bag of lozenges. "Found these in my bag. Thought you'd need them with the temperature change." 

"Oh, thanks," Louis replies, accepting the bag. It's only been a couple days since they fought and Riley had left, but it feels like a millennia.  

Harry nods and walks away without another word. 

 

\--- 

 

Harry's heart is split between London and the doorway he's walking away from, but his head keeps him walking. He silently pleads for Louis to stop him, but all he hears is a sigh and then the door clicking shut. 

He slips back into his room - technically Zayn's abandoned room. He checks his phone where he'd left it on the bedside table. No messages from Riley and he doesn't have the energy to care about anything else. 

He sends her another message:  _I miss you, baby._  

 

\--- 

 

My heart clenches as I read yet another message from Hazza:  _I miss you, baby._  

"Is that one of them?" Michelle demands.  

I lock my screen and shake my head. 

She doesn't believe me. "Which one?" 

I sigh. "Haz." 

"Has he been messaging you or is this the first?" 

I look away, guilty. 

"Why are you ignoring him, Riley? You've got to talk to them sometime!" 

"I know! I just - I don't want to - or I do, but - " 

Michelle's face turns to one of sympathy. "Riley, what's wrong? Why, exactly, are you guys fighting?" 

I rub my hands over my face, trying to think. "It just spun out of control. Louis wouldn't talk to me - he's  _still_  not talking to me. And - and I don't know why!" My eyes fill with tears which I frantically blink away. "I mean, I didn't want to introduce him to my parents - but I explained it to him - I explained it to both of them and Harry understood. And Louis didn't like it, but I thought he understood." 

"Wait, how did you and Harry end up fighting then?" 

I sniffle, wiping away a few stray tears. "He got into it with Louis - I think it was about me. And then he stormed off. I don't know. I don't know that I'm even mad at him - " 

"Then why aren't you talking to him? You left the country without talking to either of them and you're not even sure that you're mad at one of them?" 

"I don't know what to say. I screwed everything up. Louis was mad at me, not him - " 

"If Harry's texting you, I don't think he's mad at you. What's he been saying?" 

"'I miss you' and 'I love you', mostly." 

" _Riley_." 

"What? I don't know. I just wanted away from them. I told myself to wait til I figured out what I wanted before I spoke to either of them." I look down at my hands, glad that I'd chosen to have Michelle over for lunch instead of meeting somewhere. I didn't need a breakdown in public. 

"And what do you want?" She asks, like it’s the easiest question in the universe. 

"What?" 

"Do you want to be with them?" 

"Of course." 

"Do you want to know what Louis's upset about?" 

"Yes." 

"Don't you think  _talking_  to Louis would help?" 

"I - he doesn't want to talk to me. I  _tried,_  Michelle. I did. I knew he was pulling away and I tried to stop it. I wanted to just talk to him. Just the two of us, but every time I saw him - it as just - " 

"Just what?" She asks after a moment's pause. 

"He'd just - we'd fuck - the two of us or the three of us - whatever and then he'd disappear for one reason or another." My cheeks burn; I hadn't wanted to admit this - that one of my boyfriends was treating me like a piece of ass and nothing more.  

"Hey, that's nothing to be ashamed of," Michelle insists. "That's something for him to be ashamed of, absolutely, but that's not on you." 

Tears fill my eyes and drip down my cheeks. "I just - I couldn't stop him, you know? After, I mean. I wanted him to stay. I wanted to talk it out. But he just - he'd just leave. He'd pretend he didn't notice. Say he was too busy." 

Michelle pulls me into a hug. I blubber into her shoulder about everything that's been happening with Louis and she just lets me. Several minutes pass before I sniffle and regain a little control. She moves away enough to grab my phone. "Now, you need to call Harry." 

"But - " 

"Riley, you're not even mad at Harry. And your efforts to keep you and Louis's drama away from Louis and Harry's relationship has already failed and it's effecting you and Harry's relationship. That's not okay." She sighs. "I know I've never been in a poly relationship like you are, but I know that every single relationship has to be strong for this to work, right?" 

I nod. 

"And you're trying to keep them all separated right now and it's messing with the balance. If you and Louis need work, then you all need work. But pushing both of them away just because one of them is pushing you away is  _not_  going to work. You need to call Harry." 

I glance at the clock. "I think they're onstage right now." 

She shakes her head. "Leave a voicemail then. Tell him to call you back. Don't leave this a moment longer." She forces my phone into my hand. "You'll feel better even if you have to leave a voicemail." 

I sniffle and nod. "Just - just a second," I mutter, turning to reach for a tissue to blow my nose. Once I've gotten my nose and throat cleared most of the way, I dial Harry. She watches closely as if I might fake calling my boyfriend for her benefit. 

She shoots me an encouraging smile as it starts to ring. It gets sent to voicemail and I wait for the tone. "Baby, I'm sorry for ignoring your messages. Call me back as soon as you can. Love you." I hang up, sitting my phone on the coffee table. I do feel better. Not as good as it'll feel to talk to him, but leaving that voicemail does help my state of mind. 

 

\--- 

 

Harry puts everything into their performance - he always does. He never wants to walk away from a show thinking that he could have done better. His fans deserve to feel like this is the only show they've performed. It should never seem monotonous or repetitive. Harry's living his dream and it's thanks to their fans. He'll never forget that.  

But tonight, tonight is painful. It's the second show they've had since Riley had left. Every love song stomps on his heart. Every glance Louis's way to find the man  _not_  looking at him is like a punch to the gut. Harry smiles; he jumps around. It's just like every other night. Most of the fans won't notice that he feels dead inside. Most of them won't care.  

They come off the stage after the final encore song and Harry quickly changes in the dressing room he shares with Louis. He would've changed if it wouldn't cause all kind of difficulties for other people. Moving to Zayn's hotel room didn't bother anyone, but switching dressing rooms to get away from his boyfriend would require moving all his clothes and informing most of the staff that they were fighting. Not that most of them hadn't figured it out. 

He checks his phone out of habit, hoping for something from Riley but not expecting it. His heart jumps in his chest when he sees a missed call from her and a voicemail. He jumps in the back of a black SUV for the ride back to the hotel alone. 

Harry waits until he's alone in his room to listen to Riley's voicemail. He calls her back immediately - FaceTiming in hopes that she'd let him see her, even if it was through a phone screen. 

She answers and he can immediately tell that she's been crying. Her eyes are puffy; her nose is red.  

"Hi, baby," he says. 

 

\--- 

 

"Hi," I croak. He feels so far away now that I can see him. It looks like he's in a hotel room by himself. Harry studies me for a long moment in which I barely resist crying again. It feels never-ending, these tears. 

"Are you okay?" 

I shrug. "I'm sorry I've been ignoring your messages. I just - I don't know. It was dumb. I thought removing myself from the situation would make it better somehow." 

Harry shakes his head. "That could never make it better. I miss you." 

"I miss you, too." I blink away the tears before they can form. 

"I'm sorry I got so mad. I wasn't mad at you, though, baby." His forehead creases in concern. "I never wanted you to run away. I was just - trying to get my head on straight." 

"I should've talked to you before I left," I apologize. "I was just - I wanted to get away and now I just wish I was there, but I knew I'd never leave if I talked to you first." 

"Has it helped? Being away?" He asks. His eyes are sad and concerned.  

"I guess. I mean, Michelle came over and knocked some sense into me early. Made me realize I wasn't even mad at you, I was just avoiding you and that wasn't fair to either of us." 

A small smile quirks his lips. "Remind me to send the girl flowers." 

I chuckle. "Yeah, yeah." 

"And you've talked to Liam," he states. 

I sniffle. "Yeah, don't be mad at him. He's just being a good friend." 

Harry shakes his head. "I know, but he didn't talk any sense into you." 

I'm not sure how to respond to that. I can't make him forgive Liam and I'm not willing to start any kind of argument in the midst of this fragile peace. 

"What have you been doing? Just work stuff?" 

I nod. "I managed to get all my meetings that were supposed to be in a couple weeks moved to yesterday, today, and tomorrow. My first day back, I worked on rescheduling it all and then slept a lot. Cried a lot. Watched Princess Bride a few times and cried through that." 

"Princess Bride isn't supposed to be sad," he comments, lips teasing a smile.  

"Oh and I started my period, like, three days earlier than I expected, so that's just been a fucking blast." 

Harry frowns. "I'm sorry, baby. Did you find the heating pad there?" 

I shake my head. "Went and bought one in the middle of the night. Looked a right sight, I'm sure." 

"I'll get something delivered tomorrow," he promises. "So you've got work meetings tomorrow and then you can come back?" he asks, hopeful. 

I smile. "Yeah, I guess so. I haven't gotten a flight yet. Want to get back to you, though." 

"Let me know and I'll try to meet you at the airport." 

"Babe, you don't have to. That's always such a mess." 

"It'll be fine. It's not that big of an airport. I'll blend." 

I nod. "Just be careful. I don't want you getting mobbed." 

"I'll be careful," he promises. 

There's a lull in the conversation, but I'm just enjoying seeing him. It's late and I've got to get up at a decent time in the morning, but I don't want to hang up yet. 

"Is your meeting early? I should let you go - " 

"No, please. Just, just stay on until I fall asleep?" I request.  

He grins, pleased. "But you need sleep. I'll sing you to sleep. Lay down." 

I bite back a chuckle at his happy demeanor as I lay down, propping the phone up next to me. "What will you sing?" I ask. 

"Do you have a request?"  

"Have you heard Ed's new single?" 

Harry nods. "As you wish."  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Making up is hard to do.
> 
> Just saying. At least Harry and Riley are speaking again, right?!?!
> 
> Comments/kudos make me happy ;)


	37. Chapter 37

"She's flying back tonight," Harry informs Louis. "I'm going to pick her up at the airport early in the morning."  

Blue eyes dart over to meet green. "Is she okay?" 

Harry lets out a hollow chuckle. "Relatively speaking. You need to talk to her. To both of us, really. You can't expect this to just go away." He pulls a shirt over his head and exits their dressing room, surprised when Louis stops him in the hallway.  

"Come back?" Louis mutters into his ear. "Just for a second." 

Harry frowns, but concedes.  

Louis shuts the door behind them, taking a deep breath. "We're off tomorrow," he reminds him. "I was supposed to do some writing stuff with the guys, but I'll get out of it. Can we just - spend the day together? Hash all of this out?" 

Harry's eyes soften, slightly. "If Riley's up for it. I don't think she's been sleeping well - neither have I, for that matter." 

"You've been talking to her?" Louis asks, eyes on the floor. 

"Not for the first few days," Harry admits. "She was ignoring me. But she called during the show last night." 

"Oh." 

"I'm sure she's been reading all your messages. Just wants to talk in person." 

Louis sighs. "I haven't been sending her any messages." 

Harry scowls. "I assumed you were just avoiding me." 

Louis doesn't reply. 

"You were going to jump on a plane to follow her, but you can't type out nine letters to make sure she knows you miss her? Love her?" 

"Why would I need to? You're the perfect little boyfriend. I'm sure you left plenty of messages." Anger flashes before his eyes. "She doesn't even fucking need me. Obviously. Neither of you do." The door slams behind Louis's back, leaving Harry standing there staring after him. 

Harry locks the door after a moment, angry tears escaping his eyes. He can't believe that Louis would think that. He can't believe that Louis continues to just fucking storm off instead of  _talk_  to him. 

 

\--- 

 

Harry's dressed in skinny jeans and a Rolling Stones t-shirt. His black boots scuff against the floor as he nervously looks around the airport. His hair is tucked under a dark beanie in hopes that no one will recognize him sans curls. Riley's flight should be unloading any moment. 

Jo, his bodyguard of the day, is leaning against a wall nearby. He's blending into the crowd of waiting families and friends pretty well. 

A teenage girl with her family squints over at Harry, trying to place him. Harry casually moves around another group, disappearing into the crowd. 

 

\--- 

 

It takes me a moment to spot Harry in the waiting crowd. I'd refused to allow myself to believe that he really would be waiting at the airport, so it's even more exciting to find him standing there with a pleased smile on his face. 

I run into his arms, loving the way he hugs me tight against him. "Missed you." 

"Missed  _you_ ," he replies. Harry pulls away, glancing at my backpack. "That all you've got?" 

I nod. "Left everything here, remember?" 

He frowns. "Yeah." 

I pull him down into a quick kiss. "I'm sorry." 

Harry's fingers slip into mine, leading me towards the exit with a quick glance to make sure that the bodyguard is following. "Did you sleep? Have you ate? Are you hungry?" He asks, studying me out of the corner of his eye. 

"I slept most of the flight, yeah," I tell him. "I could go for breakfast, though." 

Harry nods. "There's a diner down the road from the hotel. We'll stop there." 

"No show tonight, right?" 

He leads me over to the waiting black SUV. Marcus is driving; Jo climbs into the front seat after Harry and I are settled in the backseat. 

"Breakfast at that diner we passed," Harry tells them. "Told you she'd be hungry."  

Both men chuckle as Marcus pulls away from the curb, joining the line of traffic out of the airport parking lot. 

"It's a long flight," I remind them. "Not unreasonable to be hungry." 

Harry presses a kiss to my cheek. "I know my girl." 

There's silence for a moment before I clear my throat. "Have you talked to Lou?" 

Harry's face hardens. "Told him you were coming back last night." He doesn't say anymore and I decide to drop it. At least I know he's been told I'm back. "Did you enjoy your present?" He asks. 

I grin. "I did." I'd received the box containing my favorite Godiva chocolates, face masks, fuzzy socks, and every other comforting thing I could imagine short of my actual boyfriends in the flesh. "Thank you." 

"Least I could do. Feeling okay today?" 

I nod. "Should be in the final stretches." 

He hums, leaning in close. "Guess that means no sexy times 'til at least tomorrow?" 

"Yeah." 

"We've got the whole day free. Tomorrow's back on the bus." 

I chuckle. "Niall's probably dreading that." 

Harry frowns. "Why do you say that?" 

"He's got to choose between the new couple and the fighting throuple." 

"He can ride with us and Lou can go sulk on the bus with Li and Zayn." He pauses. "He said he wanted to spend today together. I think he wants to stop fighting, but I'm not sure he's really ready to resolve anything." 

"Well, yelling at each other is better than not speaking to each other, I suppose. Did you agree to it?" 

"Not exactly. I told him it depended on how you were feeling." Harry shrugs. 

"Well, I think we should try. After we've had breakfast. I don't want to fight on an empty stomach." 

 

\--- 

 

Louis's surprised by the short text from Harry:  _We'll be back in twenty. Still want to talk?_  

It's later than he'd expected them to get back, but Harry probably took Riley out to eat before bringing her back. He texts back a quick  _yes_  and goes to take a quick shower before picking up the room a bit.  

 

\--- 

 

Louis pulls me into a hug as soon as he opens the door. I'm surprised, but I can't help hugging him back, taking a deep breath  and enjoying the scent that is uniquely  _Louis_.  

" _Fuck_ , baby, I missed you," he whispers. He starts to kiss me, but I turn, letting his kiss press against my cheek instead.  

"I missed you, too," I confess. Harry's fingers slip back into mine, squeezing gently before moving into the room around the two of us. Louis steps back, gesturing me inside and closing the door behind us. I take a chair by the window, choosing it for its singularity, neither of them can sit with me as I curl my legs up under me after I kick my shoes off. Harry settles on the floor in front of the other chair, long legs stretching across the space to press his boots against the legs of my chair. 

Louis sighs, choosing a place on the floor, completing our little triangle. "I'm glad you came." 

I nod. "We should talk." 

My words are followed by silence as we all avoid looking at each other, unsure where to start.  

"Why have you been avoiding me?' I finally ask, looking down at Louis.  

"Baby, I haven't been avoiding you." 

"Louis, this is fucking pointless if you aren't going to be honest." 

Louis's face scrunches up into a scowl. 

"Lou, she's right. There's no point in sitting here if we aren't all honest." 

Blue eyes dart to green. "You're only mad at me because  _she's_  mad at me." 

Harry's icy glare matches Louis's. "You've been treating her like shit. Yeah, I don't handle people treating my girl like shit - especially when they're supposed to be her  _boyfriend._ " 

"I haven't done - " 

"Louis, you've been avoiding me for weeks," I interrupt. "The only time I see you is when we're fucking or we're sleeping. How is that supposed to make me feel?" 

" _Fine._ I'm a terrible boyfriend," Louis exclaims. "Did you want me to say it? Why does it matter? You clearly don't need me around." 

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Harry's on his feet in an instant, quickly followed by Louis. They're both furious and frustrated and staring each other down. Harry takes a deep breath, letting it out slow before continuing. "How could you think we don't need you?" 

Louis rolls his eyes. "You two make the perfect little couple. No need to tell anyone about the dirty little secret in the closet." 

I gasp. "Is this about my parents?" 

Louis turns on me. "Maybe it is. A little bit, anyways. You don't bother to tell the people that  _matter_." 

I stand, walking over to shove him away from Harry. "You fucking idiot. You know who  _does_  know about us? My  _best_ friends, Liam and Michelle. You know who made me call Harry and promise to talk to you?  _Michelle_. You know who else knows about us? Your bandmates - your brothers. My friends. They are the people that  _matter_  to me, Louis. They are the ones that I want to know. Fuck, we told  _Modest_ , Lou. You know how terrifying that was? But we told them because they  _needed_  to know. To protect us. There's no fucking reason my  _parents_  who have done nothing but  _ridicule_  my decisions for years to know. We don't have a good relationship, Lou. I know you and your mom and your sisters have a great relationship, but that's not me. That's not me and my parents." My hands are shaking, I'm so frustrated with him.  

"She's right, Lou," Harry confirms. "You didn't get to spend much time with them, but it was awful. They don't listen to anything she wants. Her mum kept implying that I wasn't committed because I hadn't proposed. No matter how many times Riley told her that that wasn't what we wanted - " 

"Because she  _can't_  want that because she can't marry both of us," Louis cuts him off with a scowl.  

I pull the ring they'd given me off my finger and throw it at his head. "I already got a fucking ring," I remind him. "I don't need the stupid white dress and walk down the aisle to believe that we're committed. Or are you trying to say you aren't committed? Is that not what it meant?" I blink away angry tears as I wait for him to reply.  

Louis leans over and picks up my ring, staring at it for a few long seconds. "Of course that's what it meant," he finally says, coming over to slip the ring back on my finger. "You two are it for me. I just - " He sighs. "You're perfect together. I don't feel like you need me." 

"Are you kidding me?" My arms reach out to pull him into a hug as I see his chin wobble. "I can't  _breathe_  properly without you," I insist.  

"I've been busy and you two have been fine." 

"We've been surviving, yeah," Harry says. "That doesn’t mean we're fine or that we don't need you." 

Louis turns away from me to look at him. "I think that's exactly what it means." 

"Lou, we can't completely fall apart every time one of us is busy. And yeah, you were busy but then you made yourself busier so you wouldn't have to see us." I pause and Harry finishes my thought. 

"Other than to fuck us." 

"That's not - that wasn't what was happening. I just - I didn't want to talk and it just kept happening. I didn't realize it was bothering you so much." 

"You didn't think it'd bother me that my boyfriend was using me like a sex toy instead of a person he wants to spend time with? I just wanted to  _talk_ , Lou. I wanted to be with you and hear about your day - and I know I'm there for a lot of it, but that doesn't mean I don't want to hear about the rest of it." 

"Sex toy is a bit of an exaggeration," he mutters, smirking. "I always take care of you, too." 

A light blush crosses my cheeks as I try to keep my frustrated expression. "Not the point, babe. I don't want you working your ass off trying to avoid us." 

"He'd never be able to work off this ass," Harry teases, pinching his butt.  

I shoot him a glare and Louis laughs. "No more avoiding you," Louis concedes. "I've got it." He pulls Harry into a kiss and Harry cups his ass with both hands, squeezing. My stomach flips as I watch their mouths open, tongues colliding.  

"Wait - what did you tell Zayn?" I suddenly ask. "He was acting weird the other day." 

Louis pulls away from Harry. "I haven't talked to Z." 

I look over at Harry and he shrugs. "I got drunk with him. I don't think I said anything that would concern him, but I can't be 100% certain, I guess." 

Louis pulls me closer to both of them. He's got one arm around each of us now and a smile on his face. "Please say you're both moving your stuff back in here. I've barely slept without you." 

"You sure you're okay?" 

Louis presses a quick kiss to my lips. "Better than I have been in days - weeks, maybe." He kisses me again. "You okay?" 

I study his eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry I took off." 

"Forgiven," he replies. "I'm sorry I was avoiding you." 

I nod. "Forgiven. Don't let it happen again." 

"Don't board a plane without talking to us first?" 

"Promise." 

His lips press to mine, sealing our promises and creating a few more.  

Harry clears his throat. "We can't, uh, do the whole make-up sex thing 'til tomorrow," he tells Louis. 

Louis frowns a moment in confusion and then looks to me with understanding in his eyes. "Right, the app reminded me yesterday. I haven't - " 

I clear my throat. "I started early and Harry sent me my chocolates in London." It'd been Louis's tradition for a few months, always buying my favorite Godiva chocolates to ease the cravings during my time of the month.  

"Of course he did," Louis mutters, bitterness creeping back into his tone. 

" _Lou_ ," I start. 

"Don't be like that," Harry says. "I wasn't trying to - " 

"What? Make my place in this relationship irrelevant? Because it sure feels like it." 

Harry frowns. "It was a fucking box of chocolates. Which I sent with a whole bunch of other stuff because I was feeling guilty and I  _missed_  her." 

Louis takes a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. "You're right," he says, forcing his voice to remain calm. "It's not that big of a deal. I just - I would like for that to remain something that  _I_ do for Riley in the future." 

Harry nods.  

I clear my throat around the rising tension in the room. "Lou, I don't want you to feel like we don't need you. Like I don't need you. I don't know what I've been doing  _wrong_  to make you feel - " 

"Baby, I don't know that it's anything specific," Louis interrupts me. "It's not - I don't know what it is. I just - you two are so happy together - even when I'm missing date night and working late. You two seem fine. I don't - I don't want you to be, like, distraught, every time I have to miss something, but - maybe just make it clear that you'd missed me? That sounds dumb - " 

Harry frowns. "No, it doesn't, Lou. You want to feel needed and we haven't been doing an adequate job of showing you that you are." 

"I'm trying to be the good girlfriend when I tell you that it's fine when you miss date night. That's not me shrugging you off, babe. I just - I don't want you to feel bad about something that's not entirely under your control. I wouldn't want you to make me feel bad about having to work, so I try not to be too needy." 

Louis lets out a hollow laugh. "Maybe be a little more needy in the future." 

"Don't push me away in the future." 

He reaches for my hand, giving it a promising squeeze. "I don't like being needy," he confesses. "It was easier to ignore it all and push you away than admit that I was feeling the way I was. I felt like fucking you was easier than talking to you." 

"I really didn't want to drag Harry into this," I confess. 

Louis smirks. "So you ended up pushing him away while I was pushing you away which caused him to pus me away. That worked out well for all of us." 

I laugh. "We're idiots." 

Harry wraps his arms around both of us. "I propose a day of cuddles. Turn off our phones - they can come get us if they really need us." 

I lean over into Harry's chest. "That sounds good. I can't promise I won't fall asleep, though." 

An hour later, we're all asleep, clinging to each other. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, holidays were CRAZY busy for me. Hope you enjoy the update :) Comments make me happy ;)


	38. Chapter 38

"Riley's back," Liam happily declares.

"Doesn't mean everything's going to suddenly be okay," Zayn reminds him. He's distracted, texting with his sister as he talks.

"How's your sister?"

"She's dating some guy - he's covered in tattoos and he's older than her and - "

Liam chuckles and Zayn shoots him a glare.

"You wouldn't understand. Your sisters are older than you."

"And we've never been that close, yeah. It's just cute." He climbs onto the bed, crawling over to press a kiss to Zayn's lips. "You being all protective. It's adorable."

"Look at this guy," Zayn insists, pulling up a picture on his phone. It's Walihya and a guy wearing a SnapBack. He's got tattoos on the part of his arm and neck that are showing and a slightly goofy look on his face.

"You do realize it's hypocritical to judge him by his tattoos, right? You've got - " Liam starts.

"The point is that he's old enough to have that many tattoos. And they look stupid. What is she thinking."

"Maybe you should give him a chance. He might be a nice guy."

Zayn pouts up at him. "I'm perfectly capable of being polite. Probably won't see my sisters for another month, so…" He grins. "He could be history by then."

Liam laughs. "There's the positive side of things."

 

\---

 

"Liam," Zayn admonishes, glancing up from his tablet. "Where are you going?"

"Um, down to the - to the gym, yeah."

Zayn smirks. "Without changing?"

Liam sighs, crossing back to lay on the bed. "I just want to know if they've made up. These walls are freaking soundproof."

Zayn chuckles. "We will see them tomorrow," he reminds his boyfriend. "I'm sure she missed you, too, but she's probably busy."

Liam rolls to face Zayn. "You think they've made up, then?"

"I think they will eventually if they haven't today." He turns back to his tablet. "I mean, they're soulmates or something, right?"

Liam smiles. "You believe in soulmates?"

Zayn blushes, slightly. "Not in the conventional sense. Just that some people are meant to be together - not necessarily romantically, sometimes just as friends - sometimes not even forever. And those three are - even if they hadn't decided to do the whole throuple thing - they would still be together in some sense."

"You're such a romantic," Liam teases.

"Shut up," Zayn replies.

"Babe?"

Zayn finally looks over at him.

Liam takes his tablet and sets in on the bedside table. "I think we should be taking better advantage of our day off."

"Think we should leave the safety of our hotel room?"

Liam shakes his head, moving to straddle Zayn's hips. "I think we can think of something." He leans down and presses their lips together.

Zayn's hands slide up the hem of Liam's shirt, thumbs massaging circles into the dip of his hips. He can't imagine ever getting tired of kissing Liam - their lips seem to always slide together perfectly, tongues curling into each other, teeth nipping at each other's lips. Liam's fingers rub and pinch and tweak at Zayn's nipples through his shirt.

Zayn gasps into Liam's mouth. He pulls away to dispose of his shirt, tugging at Liam's for him to do the same. "Can you - will you - " Zayn halts, fiddling with the button of Liam's jeans. "Fuck me? With your fingers?"

Liam's breath catches and then he's nodding, pressing their lips back together. Zayn enjoys the feel of Liam's chest, playing with his nipples as he feels his cock hardening in his jeans.

"We should - clothes - off," Liam mutters, moving away from Zayn for a moment. He rolls onto his back, quickly unbuttoning his jeans and squirming out of them and his boxers. He pulls Zayn's jeans off of his ankles and then peels his boxers off.

Liam takes a moment to just look at him, this gorgeous man that loves him for reasons Liam could never fully understand.

"Li, c'mon," Zayn says, pulling him back up to kiss his lips again. "Touch me."

Liam grins and kisses his way down Zayn's chest, pausing to give each nipple some attention. They're dark pink wet nubs, begging for more, as he moves down to his stomach. Zayn's heart is pounding; his breath is ragged.

"Li," Zayn pleads as his cock nudges Liam's cheek.

Liam chuckles, pressing a kiss to the tip. "Patience, my love," he murmurs. His lips move down to his thighs, pressing kisses to each of them before his fingers wrap around Zayn's cock.

Zayn's hip twitch up, just barely resisting the urge to thrust into Liam's hand. "Please, Li."

Liam smirks, taking his time. He lets his thumb circle the head a few times, lazily dragging his hand up and down the shaft.

"Li - "

Zayn's voice cuts off as Liam's mouth is suddenly on him. His tongue digs into the slit, licking away the precum that's starting to appear. He presses him further into his mouth, head nudging at the back of his throat.

"No," Zayn protests. Liam's off of him in a moment.

"What?" Liam asks, concern etching the corners of his mouth. "What's wrong?"

Zayn reaches into the bedside table, grabbing a bottle of lube and pushing it into Liam's hand. "Too close. Wanna come with your fingers in me."

Liam's cheeks brighten at his boyfriend's words. "Just trying to relax you," he murmurs, drizzling lube onto his fingers.

Zayn shakes his head. "Want your fingers." His eyes are wide, pupils huge.

Liam rubs his fingers together, warming the lube and making sure it coats his first finger well. He's biting his bottom lip and Zayn reaches down to pull it away from his teeth. "Love you," he murmurs.

Liam smiles, soft and fond. Zayn spreads his legs as Liam moves up to kiss him. Liam's fingers blindly find their way to Zayn's hole. Their kiss turns sloppy, each of them distracted. He circles his entrance, massaging until Zayn blubbers something about 'getting on with it'. Liam chuckles into his mouth and presses a finger inside, slow and sure.

Zayn's done this himself before - he's even felt Liam's fingers there before, briefly, but it feels so much more purposeful this time. Liam feels more confident in his movements.

Another finger slides in next to the first. Zayn's mouth drops open around a moan, torn between pleasure and a dull ache of pain. Liam and him are just sharing the same air; lips briefly nudging against each other at random as they stare into each other's eyes.

A scissoring motion. Liam can't imagine ever getting his cock fit. Zayn's so tight around his fingers. He curls his fingers, searching for the little nub that was supposed to take away that determined look in Zayn's eyes.

Stars. Just a brief flash of them, but Zayn clings to Liam - his fingers curling around his bicep. "Right there; right there; right there."

Liam slips another finger in as his teases at Zayn's prostate. Zayn's falling apart in his arms, breath catching as his lips part around a sea of nonsense.

"Come for me, baby," Liam whispers, adjusting to wrap his free hand around Zayn's cock.

Zayn comes fast and hard. He couldn't say if it was Liam's hand on his cock or Liam's words. He feels like he loses time for a moment, returning to Liam thrusting into his own hand - his fingers removed from Zayn and wrapped around his own neglected cock. He's grunting, so hard he can't see the other side of orgasm, only the destination.

Zayn feels a little out of it; wants to help, but can't seem to get himself to move to do anything. Maybe that's selfish, but seeing Liam so hard just from watching Zayn - from touching Zayn - is doing things to Zayn. His cock feebly twitches, wanting to get hard again but not having the ability yet.

Liam looks over at Zayn - his face and then down his body and back up to his face. His eyes are dark and clouded with lust. He moans Zayn's name as he comes.

They're silent after. Liam gets a cloth to clean them up. His eyes whisper all the sweet nothings that his mouth can't seem to say. Zayn hopes Liam can read the 'I love you's and the 'Never leave me's in his.

Liam curls up around Zayn, content to just lay there in the quiet of the afternoon. Zayn's fingers thread through Liam's, marveling at how well they fit together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a laptop again!! Yayy! It's been a long few years without one. Hopefully this will lead to more updates :) since I will be able to type them up much easier and post them much easier :)
> 
> Anyways, I thought the story could do with a little Ziam action so here we are. A little protective big brother Zayn and a little smutty Ziam. Done and done. 
> 
> In all honesty, maybe I was just in a smutty mood because the next chapter, which I started in the midst of writing this one, is smutty too. SOO... take that as you will. It's not done yet, though, so not sure when next post will be. Within the next two weeks, hopefully :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!! Comments/kudos make me happy :) I love all of them and it amazes me how long some of you have stuck with Rilourry and their story :) xx


	39. Chapter 39

 

 

 

I wake up to green eyes watching me. Louis's still sleeping behind me, one arm thrown around my waist, I can feel his breath against my neck.

"What time is it?" I whisper.

"Four," Harry replies. "We missed lunch."

I reach over to brush a curl away from his eyes. "Guess we'll just skip to dinner."

He smiles. "Feeling better?"

I nod. "I needed the sleep."

"Me, too," he confesses. "I think we've become a bit too co-dependent."

"Is it too much? Or just enough?" I tease. "I don’t really want to exist without you, so does it matter that I don't know if I could?"

"I have no intentions of making you find out," Harry whispers, leaning in to press a kiss to my lips.

I hum. "Good to know."

He kisses me again. "I hate to say this, but let's go brush our teeth?" He chuckles.

"The morning breath is a bit much, yeah?" I admit. "Both of us."

"We could jump in the shower," he suggests, wiggling his eyebrows. "Just while we're in there."

I grin. "You think he'll sleep that long?"

"I think he's been sleeping worse than either of us," Harry admits. "So yeah, you can blow me in the shower while - "

"Wait, wait, I never said anything about blowing you in the shower." I giggle. "Is there a bath? I'd rather fuck in the tub."

"I thought we were waiting til tomorrow for sexy-times," he whispers.

"I think it'll be fine," I whisper back. "I just - " I let my hand skim down his chest. "I just really want you now."

He helps me slip out of Louis's hold and we run into the bathroom. I shut the door behind us. "Guess there is a tub," he comments, walking over to fill up the large bathtub.

I'm pleased to find my toiletry bag sitting on the counter as if Louis just knew I'd be staying. I dig out my toothbrush and toothpaste and quickly brush my teeth. Harry digs a spare out of Louis's bag and brushes his as well.

"I love you so much," I mutter around a mouthful of toothpaste.

Harry just grins, continuing to brush his teeth.

We spit and rinse and spit again. I've barely gotten the toothpaste wiped off of the corner of my mouth before Harry's pulling me into a kiss, pressing me back against the bathroom counter. He kisses me like I'm the oxygen keeping him from drowning. It's staggering.

I pull away to catch my breath and he moves down to my neck - biting a mark there. "Fuck, Hazza," I murmur. I can feel my pulse between my legs and his cock is a hard line against my thigh.

He chuckles darkly, barely turning to see that the tub is full. He presses another kiss to my lips before releasing me to go turn off the water. I haven't moved when he turns back around to look at me. He pulls his shirt off over his head and then wiggles out of his skinny jeans. "Bit too many clothes for a bath, don't you think?" he asks, smirking.

I snap out of the momentary haze and quickly start undressing. He's back across the room a moment later, helping me step out of my pants and then unhooking my bra. Harry leads me back over to the tub, climbing in ahead of me and holding my hand as I climb in with him, straddling his lap and pulling him into another kiss.

My fingers tangle into his hair, always fascinated with how soft it feels. His thumbs dig into the dip of my hips as he fucks his tongue into my mouth.

I grind down against his thigh, trying to ease the need for contact. His lips twitch against mine and I know he's smirking as one hand moves to slide two fingers into my folds.

I pull away from the kiss, sighing and gasping as I ride down on his fingers. I can't remember the last time I wanted him this much.

"You gonna ride my cock, baby?" he murmurs, pressing kisses to my collarbones before moving to suck a nipple into my mouth. "Hmm?"

"Yes - _please_." The words are forced from my lips.

"Sure you don't need Louis here to turn you on?"

My brain falters over the words, turning them around in my head. "W-what? Babe - babe, please."

"You want me?"

I nod, grinding down against his fingers as he halts all motion. "Want you. Hazza, please. Want your cock."

Harry's fingers disappear and a groan of protest escapes me before I realize his hand on my hip is guiding me down onto his cock.

I moan as he sinks into me. He's forcing me to go slow - he knows I'm always a bit sensitive right after my monthly. "I love you. I love you. Fuck, god, I love you." The words escape my mouth as I lean into his chest, fully seated on his cock. He feels so deep inside of me. Stars are already dancing at the edges of my vision. "Fucking love you so much."

"Love you, too, baby," he murmurs. "So much."

I bite my lip, tentatively rocking back a centimeter or so. I hiss and then settle back against his chest for a few more moments, adjusting to the feel of him.

"Bloody made for my cock, weren't you," he mutters. His head is thrown back, resting against the edge of the tub as he resists the urge to move. "Always feel so fucking good."

I nod against his chest.

We're silent for a moment and then I start to move - slowly at first, barely lifting myself up. His hands settle at my hips under the water.

"Making waves, baby," he chuckles as the water laps at the edges of the tub. I swivel my hips and he moans. "Fuck."

I bite my lip, adjusting my stance until he's hitting my G-spot. He thrusts up against me as I grind down and the stars flood my vision, bliss shaking my thighs and heat consuming me. I can hear the water splashing onto the floor, but nothing can distract me from my goal. Harry's cock keeps causing tremors through my body until I'm just letting him pound up into me, barely giving him room to do so. He muttering curse words mixed with praises and my name and I can't hear it, but I understand it and then - I gasp and then moan his name - long and drawn out as the orgasm overtakes me.

I'm weak, collapsed into his chest as he slows his thrusts.

"Good to know I can still make you scream," he says into the quiet of the room.

I chuckle. "Hasn't been that long, has it?"

He stills inside of me; his hands running up and down my sides. "Baby, it has."

I sit up, frowning. "What?"

"You and me - we haven't - in months. Not just the two of us."

My mouth drops open, ready to protest before I think about it. "You never said anything."

He chuckles, but I can hear the hurt behind it. "What was I supposed to say? You needed me; you just didn't seem to need me like this."

I kiss him. "I'm sorry. I didn't - oh my god, I wish you'd said something."

He shrugs. "You were already so upset about how Lou was acting. It wasn't - "

"Don't say it wasn't important. If it was bothering you, it was important."

He smiles. "Okay, well, I didn't want another thing to fight about."

I press a kiss to his chest. "Who says it would've been a fight?"

His fingers tangle into my hair. "I just wanted to take care of you."

I roll one of his nipples between my fingers. "Let me take care of you."

He hisses, thrusting up against me. He's already snuggly inside of me, but I squeeze down on him in response.

I lean down and lap at the other nipple. "Love how - sensitive - your nipples are," I mutter. He tugs lightly at my hair in response.

I lift my hips slowly, circling my hips as I sink back down. His eyes are closed now.

"You gonna cum? Cum for me?" I whisper. I suck a nipple into my mouth as I thrust down a few times, circling my hips in the way I know he enjoys. "Cum inside of me?" I murmur. He groans and that's it.

He pulls me to his chest and won't let me move off of him when he's finished. He hums. "No, wanna stay close to you. Just a bit longer."

It's a different feeling - his soft cock inside of me, but it's not a totally uncommon request of his. He likes to stay buried in Louis's ass, too.

"Love you," I tell him, pressing kisses across his face. "Love you so much."

"Love you more," is his reply.

I chuckle, barely registering the sound of the door opening. "Love you most."

Harry shakes his head, eyes still closed. "Love _you_ most."

"And here I thought it was all in my head," Louis's voice suddenly speaks.

I jump, causing Harry to hiss in pain. "Lou - I didn't know you were up." I turn to see his face is full of barely concealed hurt.

"I'd storm out, but I guess this would be considered my room."

"What?"

"Lou, c'mon," Harry says, frowning. "We were just - "

"Saying how you love each other most, yeah, I caught all that."

I push myself up, off of Harry's cock, ignoring the semen slipping down my thighs as I stand. "Louis, no, we just went over this - "

He's stone-faced. "I'll step out while you two get dressed." Louis turns and shuts the door behind him.

I look down at Harry. "What the hell just happened?"

Harry's head is laying back against the edge of the tub. "He just told us earlier that he was insecure about our relationship," he reminds me. "And he just walked in on us having sex - after we'd said you couldn't until tomorrow - and saying that we love each other most."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day!!!!
> 
> Is it terrible of me to leave you with them about to fight, rather than actually fighting? haha 
> 
> Comments/kudos always appreciated! I hope you all have a great V-Day and enjoy this update :)


	40. Chapter 40

"Louis, please."

Louis's as unresponsive as he was in the bathroom. He's pulled out his laptop, clicking and tapping away at some game or other, ignoring us beyond telling us to leave.

I kneel next to his chair. "Louis, it's just a misunderstanding - "

He shakes his head. "I don't want to talk. Just leave."

"I don't want to leave," I insist. "I left already, remember? That got us nowhere."

"Fine, I'll leave," Louis says, standing.

Harry shakes his head, blocking the way to the door. "Babe, that's not going to solve anything."

Louis's eyes could spit fire with the way he's looking at us. "It'd solve the I-don't-want-to-look-at-you-right-now problem."

"Lou, I love you. I love you both - "

"But not the same."

"Equally!"

Louis strides across the room, pushing Harry. Harry doesn't let up, though, not until Louis turns and twists, slipping out of Harry's grasp. "Be gone when I get back." The door doesn't get a chance to close as Harry and I follow him.

"Louis, just listen - "

He growls when he sees us following, stopping at a seemingly random door down the hall. He knocks incessantly.

"Just talk to us."

"I promised I wouldn't run away again and you promised to tell us the truth, Lou."

We're giving him space, but barely three feet of it. Harry looks like he wants to pick him up and haul back to our room, tie him up and not let him go until he's listened.

"What?" Zayn answers the door. He freezes at the sight of the three of us arguing. It gives Louis the time he needs to slip in the door, under Zayn's arm.

"Shut the door and lock it," he orders.

Zayn winces. "Lou - "

"Zayn, please."

Harry's hand is out, holding the door open. "No, Zayn. This isn't - "

"I think he needs space."

Harry growls. "No, he doesn't know what the fuck he needs. We've had enough space, Z. He can't just - "

"Let him cool off - "

"No, just let us in."

It's a battle of wills, neither man is trying that hard to push the door open or shut yet. Harry's probably stronger than Zayn, but he doesn't want to drag Zayn into this further than he already is.

"Just give him a bit - "

"No, he's shutting us out again - "

"He never should've - "

"I can't believe he - "

"He was drunk, it didn't mean anything," Zayn insists.

Harry and I freeze, confused. "What?"

There's a hitch of breath from within the room.

Liam appears from the bathroom, freshly showered. "What's going on?"

"What the fuck did he do when he was drunk?"

Zayn's eyes are wide. "I thought he'd - I thought he'd told you - I thought that was why you were pissed - "

"Told them what, Zayn?" Louis reappears, forehead crinkled.

He turns and locks eyes with Louis for a moment before Louis shakes his head, face crumpling.

"No - no, I didn't tell anybody - "

Harry plows through the door, stopping just in front of Louis. "Tell anybody what, Louis?"

"I was - I was drunk - and - no, you aren't allowed to turn this around on me." His anger returns, reaching out to push Harry away from him. "I made a stupid drunk mistake. I kissed some girl at a club and I regretted it immediately - "

His words halt as Harry just turns and leaves the room.

"You can't be mad at me! I'm mad at you!" Louis pathetically yells after him. He shoots me a glance, noting the tears starting to make their way down my face. "At least I'm not telling someone else I love them more than you."

His words are like a slap on the face and I stride across the room to retaliate. The sharp smack of skin on skin has Liam and Zayn shocked. "I promised I wouldn't run away again, but you lied to me. Maybe a lie by omission, but still a lie. You should've told us earlier. We shouldn't have had to hear it from Zayn."

Louis's eyes flash. "Fine, go spend time with the boyfriend you actually want."

I glare at him. "At this very moment - having just found out you kissed some other woman - yeah, Harry's the boyfriend I want."

I turn and walk out of the room and down the hall before I realize that I don't know where Harry's room is. I don't even know if that's where Harry went. He might've left the building for all I know. I walk back down to what was supposed to be our room and thank the gods above that the door is still propped open. I grab my phone and purse and decide to head downstairs - there was a restaurant that looked nice. I glance down at my crumpled clothing and quickly try to smooth out some wrinkles on my way to the elevator.

"Riley!" Niall greets me when the elevator opens. "Where you headed? I thought your boys - " He pauses as he realizes I'm fighting back tears. "What's wrong? Do I need to punch someone? Harry's bigger than me, but I think I could get a good swing in - "

I chuckle through the tears, shaking my head. "It's not him. It's - it's nothing."

Niall quirks a disbelieving eyebrow at me.

"Okay, it's not nothing, but I - I don't want to explain it all."

"Where are you going?"

I shuffle my feet, awkward. "Well, I kind of didn't get a key to Harry's room - nor do I know where it is, so I thought I'd go downstairs and grab dinner at that restaurant we passed on the way in."

"Where's Harry? Where's all your stuff?"

"I didn't take much with me… Harry sent my backpack back with… somebody? I assume its in his room. And I guess my stuff's probably in - Louis's - but - " I choke slightly over his name, so angry and frustrated with him.

Niall shakes his head. "Well, the good news is, I can get you a room key downstairs for Haz's room, but how about we go grab dinner first? My treat."

"Niall, you don't have to - "

He frowns. "I know I don't have to. I'm going to, though." He glances behind me and grins. "Looks like your knight in shining armor is on his way now, anyways."

I turn to find Liam striding towards us.

"I'm taking the damsel in distress downstairs for dinner," Niall tells him. "You want to join?"

Liam's studying my face and I try to shoot him a grin. "Yeah, of course. Where's Haz?"

I shrug. "I'm not sure, but I thought I'd give him a minute. He looked pretty pissed."

"Pissed about what?" Niall asks as we step onto the elevator.

"You tell him," I mutter to Liam.

"Well, uh, apparently when Louis got smashed the other night - after their, uh, fight - he kissed some other woman. And Zayn was the only one that knew - other than Louis, obviously - and it kind of just came out in our hotel room." Liam glances awkwardly between the two of us. "I'm not entirely sure what the fight they were in the middle of before that was about."

"Louis thinks Harry and I love each other more than we love him." I scowl.

Both men are silent as the elevator descends.

"It's not true, obviously," I feel the need to point out. "He's just - " I scream in frustration just before the elevator opens to the lobby.

"Let's go get you a room key, first," Niall suggests.

The men attract a few lingering glances as we cross the lobby.

"Hi, could we get another room key for 703?" Liam asks, flashing a winning smile at the girl working the front desk.

She nods, slightly flustered. "Of course, just one moment." She quickly hits a few buttons and is handing us a key card a moment later. Liam hands it to me while thanking her.

Niall's hand lands on the small of my back as he leads me back towards the restaurant. My stomach growls at the first scent of food. He chuckles. "Hungry, love?"

"We slept through lunch," I tell him.

"You were sleeping all that time? I thought it was too quiet on our floor," Niall comments.

I shoot him a glare.

"Only because they can't - you know - she's on her - "

"How the hell do you know that?" I turn to Liam.

He chuckles. "You mentioned it while you were in London. On the phone? While you were looking for a heating pad, I think it was?"

I sigh. "Yeah, so… that presented a bit of a problem."

Niall frowns. "They're mad you couldn't have makeup sex? I mean, its upsetting you have to postpone, but not really your choice…"

I laugh, pausing our conversation until we've gotten seated at a table. "We weren't going to - but then after our nap… he was still asleep, so me and Harry - I just - I decided I'd be fine and so we were - you know - in the tub and - " I sigh, shaking my head. "It doesn't really matter. I shouldn't be talking to you two about it." I pull my phone out, noticing a text from Harry: Be back soon. Love you.

Liam rolls his eyes. "You tell me everything, Riley. No need to stop now."

"I know, it's just - it's about Louis and I just - I don't want him mad because - well, more mad because I told you."

"He's insecure in your relationship," Niall states. I look over at him, surprised. "You said he thinks you love Harry more or whatever earlier," he adds. "I assume that's the problem right now? Caught you fucking Haz after saying you couldn't and then it all blew up?"

I sigh.

"I know, I'm perceptive." Niall smirks.

"It was stupid. Yeah, all of that, but he also walked in on the tail-end of a conversation. And it was stupid. You know? The stupid 'love you' 'love you more' argument? Yeah we were doing that and Lou walked in on both of us saying 'love you most' and he took it wrong."

"I think he just needs to cool off."

"Sorry if we interrupted anything," I tell Liam. "He wouldn't - we tried to keep him from leaving the room, but he was pissed and - well, we thought him avoiding the issue would make things worse."

Liam shrugs. "I can't believe Z knew about the whole…" His words fade away as he realizes what he's about to say. "Are you okay?"

I bite my lip and shake my head.

"He was drunk," Niall says. "I mean, he should've told you about it, but it doesn't sound like it was pre-meditated."

"It should've been pre-meditated that he not kiss anyone other than me and Harry," I snap.

Niall winces. "Granted."

"Let's just - let's just enjoy dinner," Liam says, reaching over to rub my back. "We can talk about it later… You can talk to Harry about it."

"Fuck, Harry," I curse, suddenly thinking about how much this hurt Harry. I quickly text him back: I love you. I'm having dinner downstairs with Li and Ni. Hope you'll be back by the time we're done? :*

"What? Are we mad at him, too?" Niall asks, glancing up from his perusal of the menu.

I shake my head, blinking away the few tears that had sprang up. "Louis's never cheated on him before. All the years they've been together…" I groan. "God fucking damn it."

Liam's still rubbing my back. "This isn't your fault," he murmurs. "Hazza's not going to blame you. Louis's the only one at fault, okay? Don’t start blaming yourself."

I nod, knowing he's right even if I'm feeling guilty already.

"Don't. Hazza's not going to blame you."

"Is it too early for alcohol?" Niall asks and then chuckles. "What am I saying? It's never too early for alcohol." He waves the waiter over and quickly orders drinks and food for the whole table, taking Liam and I's menus away without even giving us a chance to protest. "I know what you want," he insists.

The waiter returns with beers for Niall and Liam and something fruity and pink for me. I shoot Niall a look and he just shrugs.

"Last time we went out, that is what you ordered."

"Don't drink it too fast," Liam advises. "I don't think Harry would want you drunk tonight."

I nod, take a small sip. "If Louis's up there getting drunk, kindly punch him in the face for me, would you?"

Niall chuckles.

Liam takes his phone out to text Zayn. "I don't even know if he's still in our room or gone back to yours."

"His," I correct. "I'll be staying in Harry's."

Liam sighs. "Right."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know! Two updates in one day! I'm on a roll at the moment. 
> 
> Forgive me, it got worse rather than better. But it's ALLL out in the open now. 
> 
> Thanks for reading :) Comments/kudos appreciated so so much; they make my day every time I get one, honestly. 
> 
> Un-beta'd, as usual, so if you see any HUGE mistakes, please politely inform me and I will do my best to correct them :)


	41. Chapter 41

"What are you doing?" Zayn asks.

Louis doesn't even look up from the computer. "Playing Candy Crush."

Zayn snorts. "Please tell me you're joking." He leans over to look at the laptop screen. "You're not joking. Okay." He pauses, waiting for Louis to snap back a sarcastic comment.

He doesn't say anything.

Zayn frowns. "Are you seriously just going to play Candy Crush and not - "

"Leave it, Z."

Zayn's phone buzzes and reaches over to read the message from Liam: _Don't let him do something stupid like get drunk tonight._

He glances at the mini-bar and then at Louis. "Are you hungry?"

Louis doesn't reply.

"I'm ordering food," he announces. "If you want something, you better fucking speak up."

 

\---

 

"Are you sure? You can stay in here - Liam won't care."

Louis snorts. "Liam's been bad-mouthing me with my - " He swallows thickly. "I don't think he'll want me in here."

"Well, I can come stay with you, then. I don't want you to be alone," Zayn insists.

Louis shakes his head. "Nah, enjoy your time with Li. I'll be fine."

"Lou - "

"I'm fine, Z," he repeats, eyes shining.

"I'll be down in a bit. Just give me a few minutes with Li."

Louis nods, stepping out the door. "Fine."

 

\---

 

"Babe, I'm going to stay with Lou tonight," Zayn informs Liam upon his arrival.

Liam hesitates only a moment before closing the door behind him. "Okay, I guess I'll see you in the morning?"

"Yeah, bus day tomorrow," Zayn confirms, crossing the room towards him. "Sorry, I was looking forward to some alone time tonight, but Lou's - he's pretty upset. He's hiding it well, but I just - I don't think he should be alone, ya know?"

Liam nods. "If Riley was the odd man out, I'd be going to stay with her, too."

Zayn smiles, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "Good you understand."

"I don't know about Harry, but Riley's pretty shook up. If that's any consolation."

He sighs. "He's shutting it all off at the moment. I'm giving him a few minutes alone before I go down there - also, because I wanted a few minutes with you - " He grins. "But, I don't know if it's really - I don't know if he's going to let it get to him yet. He's holding on to the anger, ya know?"

"Yeah." Liam puts his hands on Zayn's hips, pulling him closer. "I'm glad we're good."

A half-smirk crosses Zayn's lips. "We don't need that drama. We've already got you working through your sexuality crisis."

Liam's mouth drops open. "It's - it's not - I'm - I'm past it - I'm - "

Zayn kisses the words away. "I'm just teasing, babe. You don't have to put a label on it, ya know?"

"How about Zayn-sexual?" Liam asks, grinning.

Zayn chuckles. "I'd be okay with that."

 

\---

 

Louis holds it together until he's alone in the shower. It suddenly feels like the rope around his wrist is strangling his heart. His chest pounds as he fights back the tears. His head aches and he feels like he's going to throw up.

The water pounds against him, but he barely feels it. He can't feel anything; can only hear the way they'd both said 'love you most'. The sight of them fucking in the bathtub - huge grins on their faces - haunts him, flashing behind his eyes like an old film.

He's shaking by the time he's got all the suds rinsed off of him.

Someone's pounding on the door by the time he turns the water off. It takes him a moment to realize it's not the bathroom door, but the room door.

"Hold on," he calls, voice cracking. He wraps a towel around his waist, barely glancing in the mirror before going to answer the door.

"You look like shit, mate," Zayn greets him.

Louis scoffs, walking over to his suitcase to get dressed. "You didn't have to come."

"Yeah, I did. And if Li and I ever get in a huge fight like this, I expect you to show up at my door whether I tell you to or not."

"It's not a huge fight."

Zayn looks over at him. "You are in your hotel room alone when they're both in the same hotel. It's a huge fight."

Louis takes a shaky breath. "I don't think they want me anymore," he whispers. A tear darts down his cheek. Zayn's across the room, pulling him into a hug before another tear drops. "I don't - I don't know what to do."


	42. Chapter 42

"Where were you?" I gently ask Harry. He's laying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. His head rolls towards me and he smiles.

"I love you."

I grin. "I know. I love you, too."

"And I love Louis."

I nod. "So do I."

"Just as much."

"I know."

He sighs, turning back to the ceiling. "He's never cheated on me before."

I bite back the tears that fill my eyes at the sound of his voice. "I know, baby." I kick my shoes off and crawl onto the bed next to him, wrapping my arm around his middle as I lay my head on his chest. "Are you okay?"

"Not really. Are you?"

I shake my head. "Do you want to go talk to him?" I ask, throat closing around the words.

"No." His answer is sharp in the quiet room.

"Me either."

His fingers trail up my back until they tangle into my hair. "I shouldn't have to feel guilty about us."

"Me and you?" I clarify.

"Yeah."

"No, we shouldn't have to feel guilty." I pause, enjoying the feel of his fingers in my hair. "This morning was really amazing pre-blow-up."

I can hear the smile in his voice as he responds, "It was. I planning to eat you out in the shower, but we never really got to the getting clean part of the bath-slash-shower."

I squirm at his words. "Yeah? That would've been… nice."

He snorts. "Nice?"

"Bloody fantastic, alright?"

We're silent for a few long moments.

"Can I be completely honest?" Harry asks.

I sit up on my elbow to look at him. "Of course."

He smirks, slightly. "I'd really like to fuck out my feelings at the moment. I know we should talk, but I just really want to fuck you so hard you feel it tomorrow."

My cheeks brighten. "Are you kidding?"

He shakes his head, eyes darkening.

I bite my lip, glancing back at the door. "We should make sure to lock the door this time."

Harry slips away from me, darting across the room to lock the door - assuring that even with a key, no one would be getting in. He strides purposefully back to the bed, stripping his clothes as he walks.

"And I'm not really in the mood for foreplay," he confesses.

I pull my shirt off, followed by my bra. "That's fine. You've got condoms, I assume?"

He goes to dig through his bag in search of the necessary item. He curses a few moments later. He pulls his clothes back on, quickly. "I'll be back in a minute."

"Where are you going?" I ask, concerned he's about to take off down the road in search of condoms at the nearest corner shop. A fine idea when we're at home; a not-so-great idea when the hotel is surrounded by screaming fans.

"Gift shop probably has some," he replies.

"Wait, no. I've got - just give me a second. I'm sure Li or Niall have some," I tell him, reaching for my phone. "Then you won't have to go all the way downstairs." I quickly text Liam and get a smiley face in return. A few moments pass before there's a knock at the door.

I start to rise to go answer it before Harry shoots me a look. I'm only half-dressed, after all.

Harry's short with him, grateful, but quick. He locks the door again and sheds his clothes. "He'll keep his mouth shut, I hope."

"He doesn't need to keep his mouth shut," I tell him. "Even though he would - probably will - there's nothing wrong with us needing a condom. Louis has the whole fucking stash between his bag and mine."

"We'll get your bag back tomorrow," Harry mutters.

I strip the rest of my clothes off just before he's climbing on the bed. He kisses me - hard and fast. His cock slides into me a moment later with a quick thrust. A hand at my hip keeps me from moving to meet him. He slams into me over and over and over. He slaps my hand away when I try to reach down to massage my clit. I groan and he just kisses me, biting at my bottom lip and then moving down to bite marks into my neck.

I know what he's doing. He's not subtle about it; wants to make sure Louis sees what we're doing tonight.

His thrusts become uneven and then he stills as he fills the condom. I squirm under him, desperate for some relief. I can already tell I'll be sore later, but I'd like to at least have an orgasm out of the experience. I may be doing it for Harry - allowing him to fuck out his feelings, but I'd still like -

His mouth is on me before I even realize he's moved. Tongue pushing into me, fingers sliding in next to his tongue.

Fuck, his mouth is talented. I cling to the bed as my thighs shake. Moments later my whole body is vibrating under his touch, singing to every brush of his tongue.

He licks up every drop after I cum. Bites another mark into my thigh before he moves up to lie next to me. "Hope that makes up for this morning."

I nod, eyes closed, but I can feel him watching me.

"I love you," he tells me again.

"I love you more," I whisper back. I'm having flashbacks to this morning when we exchanged the same words - how everything seemed to change a moment later.

"Love you - most," his voice cracks slightly over the last word.

I open my eyes just as he presses a kiss to my bare shoulder. "Love you most."

His eyelashes are wet with unshed tears. I thread our fingers together, squeezing tightly. He doesn't say anything for a long time. We lock eyes and seem to temporarily lose our ability to form words.

"Am I a bad boyfriend?"

"What? No."

"Am I just bad at giving you both enough attention?"

"This is not all on you, baby," I tell him. "He's pissed at both of us."

"He kissed somebody else. I mean, we've both done it for publicity as necessary, but - this was just because he wanted to. I don't - he's never - we swore to that we'd never - "

I reach out and pet at his hair, wanting to be comforting, but at a loss as to what to say.

"Aren't you pissed at him?" he asks, quietly.

"Yeah. I mean, I don't know if he had any intention of telling us. Which pisses me off," I say. "And just - I mean, he kissed somebody else and then kissed both of us like nothing had happened? It's really dumb, but I thought I'd be his last first kiss. And now some rando has taken that away from me."

Harry presses a kiss to my forehead. "You're the one that matters."

"I want to believe that he intended to tell us, but I don't really think he did. Not any time soon, at least."

He sighs. "What do you want to do?"

"Right now? Cuddle and maybe watch something to distract us and then go to sleep."

"And then?" he asks.

I reach over and brush a curl away from his face. "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know. I'm really pissed at him. I don't know if I'll be ready to forgive him anytime soon."

I nod. "But he thinks we don't love him as much." I stop, swallowing down the lump growing in my throat. "And I don't know if I can handle knowing that he thinks that - even if I am mad at him. I still - I still love him."

Harry presses a quick kiss to my lips. "Maybe we should just sleep on it. Talk about it in the morning. I don't really know what - I don't really know how to handle this either."

We're quiet for a few minutes, contemplating our situation.

"I need a shower," I tell him. "We should - we should watch that new Disney movie. After a shower."

He nods, slowly getting up; he grabs his laptop, passing it over to me. "See if you can find it. I'll go start the shower."

 

\---

 

"Niall says he's riding with us and Lou's moving to Ziam's bus," I tell Harry.

He shrugs. "Fine by me."

"You feeling okay? You've got a show tonight," I remind him, tossing my few clothes into my backpack.

"I'll make sure your bag's on our bus," he mutters, quickly typing something on his phone.

"Harry - "

"I'm fine, baby," he insists, shrugging off my concern. "I've been pretending everything's fine for the last two shows; it won't be that hard to keep it up."

I walk over to wrap my arms around his waist from behind, pressing a kiss to his back. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault."

I frown. "I think all three of us have some fault at this point."

He pouts. "Stop being so _mature_ and let me be petty."

I giggle. "I don't think that's how this is supposed to work. Remember? I'm supposed to remind you to be a good person."

He doesn't reply, just continues to re-pack his suitcase and bag.

"I'll grab your stuff from the bathroom," I tell him, needing to be useful. I'm not used to having so little to pack - both because my suitcase hasn't been unpacked and because I'm usually helping pack Louis's as well.

There's a knock on the door and I go to answer it after tossing Harry's toiletry bag over to him.

"You okay?" Liam asks as soon as the door opens.

I shrug. "I'm fine."

Liam frowns. "You're not, but I guess I'll take it." His eyes drift down to the marks Harry had left on my neck last night. I'd started to cover them when I put my makeup on earlier this morning, but Harry had glared at me until I'd stopped.

My hand comes up to cover one side of my neck. "Did you need something?"

He glances behind me at Harry. "Uh, I just didn't know if you knew of the changes to the bus plans - "

"Niall's with us, yeah, we heard," Harry interrupts him.

Liam shifts, slightly uncomfortable. "Actually, Niall's going with Louis and Zayn and I'm coming with you. I hope that's alright."

I quirk an eyebrow at him. "You're not going with Zayn?"

He clears his throat. "I'll see him tonight - it's fine. Louis needs him."

Harry scoffs from behind me.

"He's - uh - holding onto the anger - he doesn't want to be - "

"Riley," Harry cuts me off, irritated.

"What?" I ask, turning towards him. "I tell him everything."

Liam's eyes widen. "Uh, I'll just - see you on the bus," he mutters, making a quick exit.

I shut the door and turn back to my boyfriend. "Are you going to be angry all day? Because I'm still pissed at Lou, too, but I'm not taking it out on anyone else."

"Sorry." Short and to the point and not entirely sincere. I'll take it for now.

 

\---

 

"You should go hang out with Li," I tell Harry. He's sitting in one of the back bunks, still sulking. "Have some guys time. Beat him at FIFA or something."

"Maybe later."

I study him for a moment. His eyes are glued to his laptop, one earbud in his ear, his fingers seem to randomly peck at the keys. He's working on a song. He gets like this, not terribly often, but - that's definitely what he's doing. I lean down and press a kiss to his temple. "Love you."

"Love you," he replies, glancing up for just a moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to get you all through this fight, but it's a bit of a road ahead :( 
> 
> Thanks for all the comments/kudos/etc. :) I hope you've enjoyed a sporadic increase in updates. I don't know how long it will last, but I'm posting as fast as I'm writing, sooo that's all I can promise for now. 
> 
> I do take requests to some extent if there's something you're wanting to see. I haven't had a Niall chapter in a bit...if someone's wanting that, I can try to add some more Niall... or more Ziam... etc. That sort of thing.


	43. Chapter 43

 

 

 

"Did you sleep at all last night?" Niall asks.

Louis shrugs. "A bit." There are dark circles under his red eyes.

"He's fine," Zayn insists. "He'll get some more sleep in one of the bunks. We've got - what? - eight hours on the bus?"

Niall shrugs. "Round about that." He glances back at Louis and then speaks to Zayn. "You bring anything along to relax him?"

"I've got him, yeah."

 

\---

 

_"Why do we stay with him?" Riley giggles._

_"He's got a nice cock," Harry replies with a grin. "Do I need to remind you how much I love getting fucked? And you putting on a strap-on is just not the same."_

_"He is good in bed. No denying that." Riley pulls Harry into a kiss. "Not better than you, of course."_

_Harry bites her bottom lip, teasing her. "Nobody's better than me, baby doll."_

_"I love you," Riley mutters, staring into his eyes._

_"Love you," Harry whispers back._

_Riley turns towards Louis suddenly, as if she'd just heard him. "What are you doing here?"_

_"Haven't you done enough?"_

_"Just leave us alone."_

_"We'll come get you when we need your cock."_

_"That's all he's good for." They both giggle._

_"Run along. What made you think we needed you?"_

_"Why did you think we wanted you?"_

_They giggle_ until Louis jolts awake. Tears are dried on his face which he quickly scrubs away. He rolls over to stare at the ceiling.

He can feel the bus moving beneath him, but the movement is as natural to him as breathing. Niall is laughing at something at the front end of the bus. Zayn responds and then Niall's laughing louder. The sound is coming towards him.

"Hey, Tommo, you up?" Niall asks.

Louis wishes he would've closed the curtain before, but Niall can see him when he passes through the entryway between the front and back of the bus. He doesn't even have the energy to fake sleep.

"Oh, good, you are up. We got lunch while you were out. There's some sandwich stuff up front."

Louis grunts in acknowledgement.

"You need to eat."

" 'm not hungry."

Niall sighs, climbing up into the bunk with the older man. "Still need to eat. We've got a show tonight."

Louis shrugs.

"I know you're upset - "

"I'm fine, Niall."

Niall rolls his eyes. "You're not fine, Louis. We can all see that you aren't fine. You don't have to pretend - "

Louis practically growls, sitting up to move away from the blond. "What am I supposed to do, Niall? Please, tell me how I'm supposed to handle having my heart smashed into a million pieces. I'd love to know. Because right now I'm just trying to pretend to be fine, because if I don't I won't be stepping anywhere near that stage tonight. And I'm not going to let our relationship issues influence the band's performance."

Niall moves to get back off of the bunk, pausing for just a moment. "I just meant that you don't have to pretend with us."

 

\---

 

Harry appeared in their dressing room just long enough to get ready for the show. He didn't look Louis's way, simply pretended that he wasn't there.

Louis stared at his phone as he listened to the stylists teasing Harry and Harry retaliating. Louis couldn't help the way his gaze kept darting over to Harry. Every glance in which Harry wasn't looking back at him was another ice cube dropping down Louis's throat. It was painful the way Harry seemed to be fine. He didn't even look like he'd been upset - no dark circles under his eyes, no hesitancy in his laughter.

If he wasn't avoiding Louis, everything would appear to be just like any other day in the dressing room before a show.

 

\---

 

"Did you talk to him?" I ask upon Harry's return. I was hiding out in Liam's dressing room, avoiding the inevitable confrontation with Louis. Harry didn't want anything to be difficult for anyone else, though, so he'd gone to their dressing room to get ready. They were on in fifteen minutes. Liam was just outside the door getting his mic on. "Did he say anything?"

Harry ignores my questions. "Are you coming out to watch or staying back here?"

"I might come out for a few songs," I tell him. I never miss 'Happily' and he knows it. I'm just a bit worried it will send me into tears tonight.

He steps over to press a chaste kiss to my lips. "I'll keep an eye out for you."

I smile. "Break a leg."

 

\---

 

_Come on, jump out at me_

_Come on, bring everything_

_Is it too much to ask for something great?_

 

Harry shoots me a smile from stage as he bounces around along with the words. Louis's reserved a bit more than usual, but I don't think it's enough for the fans to notice. The lyrics seem to be making him a little more emotional than usual, though.

 

_I want you here with me_

_Like how I pictured it_

_Is it too much to ask for something great?_

 

I lock eyes with Louis and feel like a shard of glass just lodged itself in my heart. His pain is so visceral; my throat closes up and I'm desperately trying not to cry as he sings the last lines of the song.

 

_You're all I want_

_So much it's hurting_

_You're all I want_

_So much it's hurting_

 

His eyes glisten with unshed tears, but he blinks them away, turning back towards the other boys.

I quickly make my way backstage, barely holding back my own tears. I don't even care that he kissed some other woman at this moment; I just cannot handle seeing him in that kind of pain. I can be mad at him later. I can sleep next to him and still be mad at him. I just - I need him.

I go to their dressing room to wait for him - I know Harry will still go to Liam's room, but I just want to see Louis. I pace the room for a few minutes; I'm still trying not to cry. I choose a playlist at random on my phone, thinking that music might help distract me. I don't even know what I'm supposed to say to him. He's in so much pain - how did I not notice how much pain he was in?

 

_I was a boat stuck in a bottle_

_That never got the chance to touch the sea_

_Just forgot on the shelf_

_No wind in the sails_

_Going no where with no one but me_

_I was one in one-hundred billion_

_A burned out star in a galaxy_

_Just lost in the sky wondering why_

_Everyone else shines out but me_

 

I don't know how to convince him I love him just as much as Harry. I can barely wrap my own mind around the way that I love them both so completely. I need them both. Louis just -

 

_I came to life when I first kissed you_

_The best me has his arms around you_

_You make me better than I was before_

_Thank God I'm yours_

 

The tears are flowing down my cheeks as I zone into the song playing from my phone.

 

_I was a worn out set of shoes_

_Wandering the city street_

_Another face in the crowd_

_Head looking down_

_Lost in the sound of a lonely melody_

_Empty pockets at a roulette_

_Always landing on a lost bet_

_Just live for the spin and hope for the win_

_Go all in just to lose again_

 

I've always envied the way Louis could put his emotions into his music - his lyrics. I'm not even sure who sings this song until I check my phone. I'm sure I've heard it before, but I never realized how completely it describes how I feel about Louis.

 

_But_

_I came to life when I first kissed you_

_The best me has his arms around you_

_You make me better than I was before_

_Thank God I'm yours_

_The worst me is just a long gone memory_

_You put a new heartbeat inside of me_

_You make me better than I was before_

_Thank God I'm yours_

 

My first kiss with Louis felt like coming home. It changed everything. He changed everything. I could never be enough for anyone before, but somehow Louis reinstated my confidence. He refused to allow me to think that anyone could treat me as less-than - including him. He healed wounds that I didn't even realize were there.

Before we got together, I was letting my parents push me around - I never told them no. Harry made me feel comfortable in my own skin in ways that I couldn't imagine before him, but Louis was the one that gave me confidence. He's the one that made me feel powerful. He made me feel like I was in control of my life when I'm not sure I'd ever felt that.

 

\---

 

I have the song on repeat by the time Louis appears. I've run out of tears and I've been trying to figure out what to say to him. How do you tell someone that you can't breathe properly without them?

"Riley," he says upon entering. He's sweaty from the stage. There's no indicative inflection to my name to tell me what he's thinking. He strips and moves over to the small attached bathroom to shower without another word.

I listen to the water running, waiting for him to return.

Finally, he does, a towel wrapped around his waist as he crosses the room to a rack of sweats and comfy t-shirts.

"I don't - " I swallow thickly. "I don't know what to say, babe. I don't know how I ever let you think I don't love you or that I don't love you as much as Hazza. I'm so so pissed at you for kissing some other girl, but I can't have you thinking I don't love you. Because I don't think a four-letter word could even encapsulate the way I feel about you, Lou."

He pulls sweats and a t-shirt on and walks back over to a mirror as he runs his fingers through his hair.

"I'm so mad at you," I say.

"I am sorry about kissing that woman," Louis mutters. He's still not looking at me. "That wasn't fair to either of you, regardless of how I was feeling or how drunk I was."

I shake my head. "It wasn't fair."

"But you and Haz in the tub the other morning wasn't fair either."

"It was bad timing," I agree. "I'm sorry for that."

He comes over to sit next to me. "Why'd you say you were on your period still?"

"I was. It wasn't - I wasn't - we weren't lying about that. I just - I woke up feeling okay and kind of horny, so we - we thought we'd be done before you got up." I fold my fingers together, glancing over intermittently to see him staring at his own hands. "Were you - going to tell us? About the girl you kissed?"

"Eventually, probably," he whispers. "But I don't remember telling Zayn, so I didn't think it was a pressing issue. I didn't think you'd ever hear it from elsewhere. We were already - well, we were already in a bit of a rough patch. I didn't want to make it worse before it got better."

"It hurt Haz a lot more than it hurt me," I tell him.

Louis nods, blinking away a few tears. "I fucked up."

"I'm not sure I completely forgive you yet."

"I'm not sure I believe that you love me the same as him."

I turn to him. "I don't love you the same as him - I couldn't if I tried. You're two entirely different people. I love you equally but never the same."

He nods, but I feel the skepticism coming off of him in waves.

I stand. "There's this song I heard tonight," I say, taking his phone and pulling it up for him to listen to. "It describes my feelings better than I think I know how to." I hand him his phone back. "Just listen to it. Please?"

He finally looks up at me and nods.

"I'm gonna go find Harry. I'll see you later?"

He shrugs.

"I love you."

I don't think he's going to respond and I'm almost out the door when I hear him whisper, "I love you more."

I turn, catching his eye. "Impossible."

I shut the door behind me and travel down the hall to Liam's room. Harry and Li are both still on a high from the show - big grins plastered across their faces and an inability to sit still for very long.

Harry pulls me into a kiss as soon as he sees me. "Where have you been?" he asks, arms around my waist. He's already showered and changed into dark skinny jeans and a Rolling Stones shirt.

"I went to talk to Lou."

His face falls, slightly. "You okay?"

I shrug, not really sure how I feel at the moment.

"I was going to ask if you were up for going out tonight," he confesses, preparing for my refusal.

I shake my head. "No, yeah, let's go out. Liam coming?" I ask, turning towards him.

"Yeah, definitely."

"Don't you need to check with the boyfriend?"

"He's not my keeper."

I chuckle, appreciating the lightness returning to my chest. "He is _a_ keeper, though."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Un-beta'd, forgive any mistakes or kindly inform me in the comments. :)
> 
> edit: I didn't realize the italics didn't work on first posting, fixed that. AND I forgot to mention that the song Riley's listening to is "Yours" by Russell Dickerson and it definitely inspired me to finish this chapter. ALSO, I have an entire Rilourry playlist on Apple Music, that I can link to if anyone is interested :)


	44. Chapter 44

Niall grins, pulling Lennon into a tight hug. "How've you been, love?"

She presses a kiss to his cheek as she pulls away. "I've been great," she replies. "How're you? How's tour?"

He leads her over to a nearby couch. "It's been good," he tells her. "Incredible. It's amazing seeing all the fans and you know I love performing every night."

Lennon smiles. "Yeah, I can't imagine what a rush it is. I perform in front of twenty people and have an adrenaline rush; I can't imagine what thousands of people would do."

"Anybody signed you yet?"

Lennon shakes her head. "No takers yet. I - "

"Seriously? Let me introduce you to some people."

"Niall - "

"You're an amazing songwriter, Lennon."

She blushes, slightly. "Thanks, but I just - I think I should find my own way."

"This is you finding your way," Niall insists. "I'm just going to drop your name to a few people I know in the area."

 

\---

 

"Where are we going?" Lennon asks.

Niall shrugs. "Harry's the one that wanted to go out - he probably picked some gay bar."

Lennon chuckles. "Does that just eliminate your competition?"

He shoots her a look. "I wasn't aware I was in a competition."

She leans in and presses a kiss to his lips. "Don't get too drunk."

Niall rolls his eyes. "Irish, remember?"

"We're here!" Liam tells them from the front seat. They'd let Harry and Riley have the other SUV to themselves - they'd been looking like they weren't going to keep their hands to themselves for the ride over.

Lennon looks out the window. "Oh, I love this place. Pain in the ass to get into."

"Not tonight," Niall promises. He slides out the door and offers her a hand. Paparazzi's cameras flash around them, but Niall can see that most of them are pointed at Harry and Riley's arrival. Harry's arm is tight around Riley's waist as he leads her inside. Liam follows close behind, followed by Niall and Lennon and security.

They're quickly led up to a VIP area above the dance floor. Liam says something to Riley before ordering her a drink. Harry downs a drink as well and then the three of them start their own dance floor, swaying and grinding to the music.

"Are they - " Lennon starts to ask.

Niall laughs. "Liam's her best friend. Harry's her boyfriend and he's cool with it."

Lennon watches them a few moments. "It's kind of hot."

Niall chokes on his drink. "You have no idea." He doesn't speak to people about Harry, Louis, and Riley's relationship - it's not his business to be telling people. He watches the way Harry's hands never leave Riley's waist, even when she's turned and dancing with Liam, leaning in to speak into his ear. "You want to dance?"

Lennon walks over to the railing, observing the crowd below. "I definitely think it'd be more fun down there."

Niall shoots the threesome dancing a significant look. "You sure about that?"

She laughs, grabbing his hand. "C'mon." She leads him back down the stairs to the dancing mass below.

 

\---

 

Lennon's a little tipsy when they leave. She keeps sliding her hand up his thigh in the car and his cock is definitely perking up in interest. Liam, Harry, and Riley were still at the club - they'd joined the crowd and Riley was enjoying the attention a little too much. Niall noticed he was getting jealous just before Lennon requested they head out.

"I wish you were in town more often," Lennon tells him. Yep, definitely a little tipsy. She's never this honest sober.

"Miss my dick too much?" Niall says, teasing.

Lennon frowns. "Just you." She leans her head against his shoulder. "You never text me or call me unless you're heading into town or here. And that's just not near enough."

Niall sighs. "I didn't realize you'd want to talk to me when I'm out of the country."

She shrugs. "I'd love to talk to you more. But I know that's not what this is."

"And what is this?"

"I think 'friends with benefits' is a bit generous," she confesses. "Because we only talk when you're on your way into town."

"I thought you were okay with that."

She shrugs again, lifting her head off of his shoulder. "Is there a 'me' in every city you stop in?"

"No."

"Just most of them?"

He rubs his hand over his face. "There's a couple girls that I hook-up with when I'm around."

Lennon nods. "That's what I figured." She moves quicker than he'd expected, unbuttoning his jeans and pulling his cock out. Her mouth is on him before he has a second thought.

"Fuck."

The driver had already raised the privacy partition, but Niall knows those things aren't soundproof.

 

\---

 

Niall takes his time once he gets her naked in his bed. Her thighs are around his head as his tongue goes to work. She tastes good. He wants to tell her that he doesn't do this with every other girl.

She trembles beneath him and then he's got to press her thighs apart before she squeezes too hard. He sucks and flicks and slides a few fingers inside her, quickly finding her G-spot and slowly taking her apart.

He kisses her and moans as her tongues darts out to taste herself on his lips.

"Fuck me," she whispers against his mouth. "Fuck me hard enough I'll feel it tomorrow."

 

\---

 

"I ordered breakfast," he tells her when she wakes up.

She stretches beneath the covers before climbing out of bed and heading for the bathroom.

He watches her every step of the way, enjoying every curve and dip of her body. Niall glances at the clock, wondering if she might be up for another round this morning. He hadn't asked her plans for the day. They were supposed to write together, but that hadn't really been scheduled.

She returns a few moments later with minty fresh breath. "When's breakfast supposed to be getting here?"

"Ten minutes," Niall replies, ogling her naked form.

"Oh, good, that's plenty of time." She flings the covers off of Niall, grabs a condom from his stash and is sinking down onto his cock with a moan a moment later.

"Lennon."

She starts to ride him and he groans beneath her. She swivels her hips and manages to bring them to completion before breakfast arrives at the door. She tosses on one of the hotel robes and answers the door with a sunny grin.

 

\---

 

"So what were you wanting to write?" Lennon asks.

Niall sighs. "How about…a love song that's not really a love song, it's just an 'I like you' song. Beginnings, you know? That first impression where you don't really know where things could go, but it feels good."

Lennon nods, strumming a few random chords. "I've never seen you before, but I'd like to a whole lot more."

Niall nods. "Something like that."

 

\---

 

"You do not deserve anything after last night," Zayn says, shooting Liam a glare.

"But - "

"I should've just sent you back to our room on your own."

Liam pouts. "I'm not allowed to want my boyfriend?"

"You can want me all you like, doesn't mean you can show up at someone else's door in the middle of the night."

"You were still up."

Zayn rolls his eyes. "Only because I wanted to know you made it back safely. I wasn't waiting up to fuck."

Liam climbs into his lap, sitting sideways and wrapping his arms around Zayn's neck. "I didn't ask for a fuck. I just - "

"Wanted me to blow you so you could sleep."

A sheepish grin crosses Liam's face. "It seemed like a very valid request at the time."

"How much had you been drinking at the time? Usually a good signal that it wasn't a great request."

"Haz and Riley got me all wound up," Liam insists. "I blame them."

Zayn lifts an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Haz had a bit of a jealous fit over some guys dancing with Riley. And then they were all over each other. Which just made me want to be all over you. Well, that and the dancing with them."

His boyfriend laughs. "Maybe you shouldn't rub your dick up against Riley and then ask me to take care of it afterwards."

Liam scrunches his face up in disgust. "God, it sounds so much worse when you say it."

 

\---

 

"Are you going to talk to him today?" I ask Harry. We're still in bed, cuddling the morning away.

He shakes his head. "I don't think I'm ready to talk to him."

"Are you bothered that I talked to him last night?"

"Of course not."

"I think I'd be a little bothered if you went and starting talking to him before I was ready to talk to him."

Harry sighs. "I just - I wish I could forgive him as easily as you."

I sit up and turn to frown down at him. "I haven't forgiven him."

"What were you talking to him for?"

The emotions threaten to strangle me for a moment. "He's - Harry, he thinks we don't love him. Yeah, I'm pissed at him for fucking kissing some other woman, but that doesn't make me love him any less. And I don’t want him thinking that this is anything other than me being absolutely pissed at him about some other woman - he needed to hear that I love him just as much as I love you."

"Don't think less of me, but - I just - I'm so angry, baby. I'm so angry and hurt that - maybe I want him to hurt a little bit? We promised - we promised to never do anything outside of our relationship between the two of us and then the three of us. And he - he fucked up. He never - he's never broken that promise to me, Riley. It's been years and he's never slipped up."

"Okay, I know, but just - he needs to know that you're just pissed at him. He thinks we don't want him anymore."

Harry's jaw clenches. "I don't want him right now."

"Okay," I concede, recognizing that I'm getting nowhere. "Maybe tomorrow - or in a couple days."

"Maybe if I'd told him we hadn't fucked without him in months, he'd get his head out of his fucking ass."

I lay back down, wrapping my arms around him. "I'm sorry, baby. I didn't want to get you upset."

It's quiet for several moments, but I can hear his heartbeat slowing down.

"You'll never cheat on me, right?" Harry asks.

My eyes fill with tears as I shake my head against his chest. "Never."

"Not even with Liam?"

"No, baby. Never. Liam's just a friend."

"You two were awfully close last night," he whispers. It's almost like he's ashamed to admit how insecure Louis's indiscretion has made him.

"Last night was just dancing and having a good time. Liam makes me happy and he was a good distraction." I move to roll over on top of him. "But you were the one that I intended to go home with at the end of the night. Or, well, back to a hotel room, but you get the point. I'm not interested in him like that. And he's with Zayn now, remember? So he's not interested either."

Harry pulls me down into a kiss. "I love you."

"I know." I kiss him again. "And I'll assure you as many times as you need me to as long as you ask me like this - " Kiss. " - and not in the middle of an argument or something."

Harry smiles. "I'm really lucky we found you."

"I'm really lucky you thought I was worth courting."

He snorts. "'Courting'? Really?"

"I never thought you two even thought of me that way before you asked to date me."

Another kiss. His hands are squeezing my ass. "Lucky you didn't run for the hills."

I sigh, enjoying the feeling of his hands on me. He slides one digit inside of me and I start rocking against him. "Love you," I murmur.

He hums, pressing another kiss to my lips as he fucks me with his fingers. His teeth nibble at my bottom lip as his other hand moves to massage my clit. I tremble at the feeling. "You gonna cum just on my fingers, love?"

I shudder from head to toe.

"Maybe we'll have to take a shower and clean you up, huh?" His fingers curl inside of me and then I let out a half-sob as my whole body tenses and then releases.

"Harry," I sigh.

His fingers are covered and then he's flipping me onto my back to stick his face between my legs.

 

\---

 

"No, no - that's not - " Niall starts.

"It is, too!" Lennon insists.

"That is not a word."

Lennon pulls her phone out and shows him. "Who is the idiot now?" She quirks an eyebrow at him.

He grabs her wrist and pulls her into his lap as quick as he moves his guitar out of the way. Niall's lips press insistently to hers and she's putty in his arms. "Break time?" he murmurs.

She hums in agreement, tongue sliding into his mouth with practiced ease.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got a comment wanting more Niall and a comment wanting less Niall....soooo I made a chapter that's Niall but I cut Ziam and Harry/Riley into it to maybe satisfy the masses? :)
> 
> Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed it. Comments always make me happy :)
> 
> https://itunes.apple.com/us/playlist/unconventional/pl.u-e98lGapcz5YBMM
> 
> Link to my Rilourry/Unconventional playlist for anyone that wants it. It doesn't really have an order, I usually just play it on shuffle when I'm needing inspiration :)


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